Emotions
by PsychicOtaku182
Summary: SPR goes through emotions. Summary sucks. Spoilers about Oliver Davies in later chapters. Chap.11 contains Major Spoilers. Read at own risk!
1. Note about this series

**I Don't own Ghost hunt.

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This is a very random fic. I made up all the characters that aren't in the manga, anime, or novels. There are spoilers dealing with Oliver Davies later on, but the rest is my imagination. I don't know what the characters' pasts are like. So don't flame!!

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	2. Angst Mai

I DON"T OWN GHOST HUNT!!sheesh!

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**Once there was a time when I was normal.**

** I had a mother, a father, an older brother, and a younger twin sister. My sister was my identical twin and the most important person in my small, childish world. I was strange. My favorite color was black, I liked to read Edgar Allen Poe, and other things like that. **

**The other children called me things like Yurei(Ghost), onni(Ogre), Jusha(Witch), and Yukai(Demon). They never called me that when my sister was around. They did it once, and when she started crying because it hurt her feeling to have her Onee-chan picked on, I told her to go home and get some snacks for us, then I beat the boy that was teasing me up. I told him that if he ever made my sister cry again, I'd put him in the intensive care unit.**

** I meant it. He knew it and no one picked on me when my sister was around. If it was just me, they could do just about anything to me, I wouldn't say a word. My father died when I was four-and-a-half-years-old. I don't really miss him. My sister was still the most important thing. We could talk without words. All we needed to do was concentrate on the other one, and we could have entire conversations. **

**I'll never tell the others. **

**My sister's name was Sakura. She died when I was eight-years-old. The little world that I lived in came crashing down. I tried to die. I wanted to be with my sister. **

**I'll never tell the others. **

**I saw my sister one last time. She was sad. It was killing me. She opened her mouth, no sound came out, and yet I heard her say, "It wasn't your fault. Something worse was going to happen. Be thankful that it was painless. Smile and live, so that I can be happy." Some thing worse? **

**That's when I was able to smile again. Mom died when I was eleven. My Onii-chan, Hatori, died soon after that. I didn't cry. I can't tell the others. I decided that I wanted friends, so I changed. **

**They'd faint if they knew.**

** I started to act cheerful, wear bright colors (My clothing had always been dark before), to do normal things. My sister's spirit left me when I began to laugh. I didn't see her. I hadn't seen her since two weeks after her funeral. I felt her leave. Hatori is still there. **

**Masako knows, but she has never said a word. I'm glad she hasn't. Maybe one day, I can tell them. But for now, I'm Taniyama Mai, and they know all that they need to know.**

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**So how was it? I know Mai's OOC. I don't know if this is true, I made it up. I just know that she's an orphan. **

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	3. Masako's Normal Day

I Don't own Ghost Hunt. If I did, Mai and Naru would be going steady and Masako would be with John. This is a galpal Fic. If you want to take it as a Yuri fic, please leave now.

**WARNING: Flames will be used to further pyrokenetic abilities!!**_

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_FLASHBACK_….

"WHY DOYOU HATE ME?! WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU?!" Mai's angry voice rose as she eyed the equally angry, but not screaming, girl before her. "WELL?!"

"YOU CAN BE NORMAL, THAT'S WHY!!" The young psychic finally lost her temper and screamed back at the part-timer.

Mai was dumbstruck. So Masako wanted to be normal? That could be arranged!

_END FLASHBACK…._

"Okay, put these contacts on. Okay, now hold still. There!" Mai shouted triumphantly. "Now you look normal!" Masako looked at herself in the mirror. Her black hair had been lengthened to mid-back length with black extensions, and her eyes were now green due to color contacts. The hair was pulled back in a relaxed ponytail. She was wearing a red t-shirt, black and white striped crop vest, black capris, and black open-toe sandals. "What do you mean, 'Now you look normal'?" she asked. "No one will know you're you! You and I are going to go spend the day in the shopping district doing what normal six-teen-year-olds do! When you're asked for your name, we'll give them an alias! You can spend today as a normal person! I can't make you stop seeing spirits, but I can help you have as close to a normal day of fun that you can get!" Masako smiled. She didn't know why Mai was being so nice, but she decided against asking.

_Later…._

"Okay, so what should we eat? There's _Nikuman, Takoyaki, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taiyaki, _and a Chinese tea house just around the corner." Mai looked at Masako expectantly. It was only noon and the two still had seven and a half hours before they went to Masako's house for a sleep-over with Ayako, since the older woman had come with them as a chaperone (Masako's father was still worried about her, even though he couldn't recognize her). "Hmmm. They all sound so good! Um, what is McDonalds?" "It's an American fast-food place! The food's not exactly diet friendly, but it's still really good!"

"I'll try it!"

_A Few Minutes Later…._

"I'd like one Cheese burger meal, no pickles. One Chicken sandwich meal with extra special sauce. One Fish Mac with less tartar sauce. And Coke to drink with all of them, please!" Mai smiled as she ordered the food. "1,595 yen, please!" Mai was about to start digging through her bag when Masako handed her the money. They took their food and sat down. "Thanks for getting that." Mai said, before eating a French fry. "I should be thanking you. Today is going great! I get to be a normal teenager today." Masako ate a bite of her sandwich. "I'm glad we can all be friends today. Normally you two are at each other's throats! Today, we're all best friends!" Ayako smiled. Mai and Masako laughed in agreement as they all continued their lunch.

_Later….._

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Yamikawa Ayu-san, Happy Birthday to you!!" The staff of the ice cream parlor sang as they placed a small, three-person ice cream cake in front of Masako. She blew out the sparkler candles that were on the top. Every one cheered and the employees left the girls at their table. "Wow! We should do this again some time!" Masako was using the alias of Yamikawa Ayu. The three laughed at Mai as she made a face. "Brain freeze!" And they continued to eat the chocolate ice cream cake.

_As they were leaving the Ice cream parlor…._

"I got free ice cream and they didn't know that I was a celebrity!" Masako exclaimed, slightly shocked, but very happy. "Of course! Everyone is a star on their birthday!" Mai giggled. "But it's not my birthday." "They don't know that. Oh hey, look! A photo booth! Let's go!" she dragged the other two under the curtain. "Let's see. Ah, we'll call these photos 'Masako's Normal Day'!" Masako giggled. "Can you point me out in the photo? I don't think the others would recognize me!" "No problem!"

"I'll take the photo!" Ayako exclaimed. CLICK! The three SPR girls started laughing again. "One more!"

"Okay! These will be titled 'SPR's girls' day out!'!" Ayako laughed this time.

"My turn to take the pictures!" Masako claimed. Click! And the girls laughed again.

After they grabbed their photos, the girls went to get dinner. "Let's go to that Chinese tea house you were talking about!" "Okay!" At the teahouse, they all shared three orders of assorted styles of Dim Sum. Ayako insisted on paying for dinner and the girls left.

_At Masako's House….._

"Thank you so much! Can we do that again some time?" Masako asked, as Mai removed the hair extensions. "Sure! Next time you can all stay at my house!" For probably the zillionth time that day, the girls started to laugh again. Masako was holding onto a stuffed tiger that she had bought. Scattered on the floor of her room were things that she had bought, or won at the arcade. The sticker sheets of the photos they had taken earlier were pinned to her cork message board, two rows missing from each. Those had been cut off for Mai and Ayako. "I guess we need to get to bed." Masako said. Mai handed Masako a garment box. "Last part of your normal day." She said. Masako opened the box to find a set of lime green and white plaid patterned pjs, and a sleeping bag. Mai smiled. "You have something other than a sleeping kimono now!" Masako had said that all she ever slept in was a sleeping kimono. Masako quickly changed and the three got in their sleeping bags. This friendship thing wasn't going to stop Masako and Mai from fighting for Naru, but it added a whole new meaning to the word "Normal"!

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So how was it? Remember, reviews are love. More reviews means more love for me, which means more story for you!! 


	4. Confused Naru!

This one is for a confused Naru and slightly cold Mai. I'll be doing a Lin cetered one soon. Please enjoy and review!!

Flames will be used to further Pyro abilities!

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How was Naru supposed to know that his "Observer" and close confident had a steady **girlfriend**? Or that his young employee not only knew that **Lin** had a **girlfriend **but knew Lin's girlfriend as well? Or that she often referred to Lin's sweetheart as "Onee-chan"? Or that the two girls were next-door neighbors? Had he have known this, he wouldn't be sitting on the hood of his car, next to the above mentioned young employee, eating Taiyaki and watching his "Observer" through a pair of binoculars.

"They're going to kill us if they ever find out, you know." Mai said, taking another bite of her Taiyaki.

"**He has a girlfriend**?" Poor Naru! He'd been watching Lin for almost an hour, and it still hadn't sank in all the way.

"Yes, Naru. Lin-san has a girlfriend. I've told you. Her name is Tara Smith. Every one, including Lin, calls her Yuki. She's an American and my next door neighbor." Mai was not believing her boss was really this- _dense_? Yeah, that's the word. **Dense**. He really never noticed the hours Lin spent on the phone with Yuki? Or the _humming_? That's right, humming! Lin had been **humming**, very quietly, but humming just the same. She sighed. At least Naru had made her come along. She could always _**pretend **_that this was a date. After all, he had bought them food, even if it was only Taiyaki. And they were in a slightly romantic environment. They were sitting on top of Naru's dark blue Porsche, on a hilltop, late at night under the stars. However, reality showed two teens on a Porsche, eating Taiyaki and spying on their friend's date. Still, Naru was being nice. At least, Naru nice. He hadn't called her an idiot, yet.

"You realize you **lost** the bet, right?" Mai looked at her handsome boss.

"I know, I know. This is just very shocking to me. Lin never said anything about a girlfriend." Her boss never even looked at her.

" You still owe me twice my salary, plus my salary!" Mai smirked a little.

"Yes." He was still watching them!! Mai picked up the pair of binoculars next to her and looked at the couple walking through the park. Lin's tall, 6'4" figure contrasting more than a little against Yuki's slight, 5'3" tall figure. They looked happy together. Lin was actually smiling, where as Yuki, who according to Mai was quite a silent person, was chatting with Lin amiably.

"Ne, Naru? Do you think Lin-san may actually –love?-Yuki? I mean, she seems to be the happiest she's been since…" Mai trailed off, a fact that Naru found puzzling.

"The happiest she's been since what?" He questioned.

"None of your business, Naru." Mai went back to the binoculars. "They seem to be having fun. I don't think they need teenage chaperons."

"Is that what we are?"

"No. But that sounds better than '_spying on them_', doesn't it?" Mai gave Naru a wry smile.

"Yes. But we are spying on them." Naru said, very matter of fact, by the way.

"You're no fun, Naru-chan!" Mai stuck her tongue out at him. A childish gesture, but still.

"Must you always be childish?" Naru rolled his eyes and repressed the urge to call her an idiot. He had the sinking suspicion that if he did, she'd never let his inability to pick up on the fact that Lin had a girlfriend, despite several very obvious clues, go.

"Yes. It's part of who I am. If I were anything else, I wouldn't be Mai, now would I, Naru-chan? Besides, I'm not always like this. If I wanted to, I could be very serious. I just don't want to." Mai looked through the binoculars again.

"I find that hard to believe."

"Of course you do, Naru. I would to, if I were in your position." It may have just been him, but Mai seemed a little colder, personality wise, than she normally was. Of course, considering the fact that at any moment, Naru was expecting to see pigs flying by, that wasn't too surprising. He was sorry he'd lost that bet, though. After all, Mai working without complaints about his, as she said, "lack of manners" would have been nice. Oh, well. Sometimes, even Naru gets knocked down a few sizes. Ne?


	5. Monk and Miko

This is a Bou-sanxAyako piece. I fully support this pairing and would love to see more on it! Please read and review!!

I don't own Ghost Hunt, so all you crazy fans who don't like the fact that the Manga-ka hasn't done vol.10 yet, **LET ME GO HOME**!!!

Flames will be used to further Pyro abilities!

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Takigawa Housho, also known as Bou-san, looked across the table at his companion. If companion was the correct word to describe the Miko sitting across the table eating her dinner. They were "celebrating" having solved the latest case at SPR. Actually, the truth of the matter is that they were both trying to heal their injured prides, after having watched the others go out with their dates for a party at Mai's school. Still, Bou-san didn't mind this arrangement too much. He would have enjoyed it even more if the self-claimed Miko was his steady girlfriend. Looking at her, he wasn't sure what she'd think if she knew that, quit frankly, he'd like to get to know her better. What her favorite food was, what her favorite color was, that sort of thing. His days as a Monk were over, so why couldn't they be a couple? Simple. He didn't know how she felt.

Matsuzaki Ayako sat across the table from the Monk, unaware of his thoughts about her. Another bite of her dinner went into her mouth as her mind continued its banter. One half of her brain arguing why she shouldn't fall for the ex-Monk sitting across from her, the other arguing for it.

'He's a Monk!'

'_**EX**_-monk! He's free from that lifestyle.'

'You're always hitting him'

'But it's never _that_ hard! He can be such a gentleman at times.'

'There's no way he would ever fall for some one as hot tempered as you.'

'I can always hope, can't I?'

Anyone can see they have a dilemma.

The two finished their dinner and went for a walk in the park.

"Hey! I just realized, this is the same park that Masako was possessed at!" Takigawa exclaimed. Sure enough, there was the bench that they had all sat at, talking about how it was strange that Naru had taken that case.

"We were all wondering why he'd taken that case from Masako. Of course, we all know now, but that case had us thinking more about Naru and Masako than about the actual case." Ayako smiled as she talked, thinking about that day at the park.

"I still think it's incredible how much compassion Mai can have for other people, dead ones and living ones." Ayako thought about what the former monk said. Mai did have a lot of compassion for others. She was so busy thinking that she didn't even register the fact that she was leaning into Takigawa-san, or that he had his arm around her. When she finally did realize it, she was to drunk on the moment to care. She looked at him. He looked at her. They leaned in closer to one another. The only witnesses to that first magical kiss were the trees that were all around them. The next day the two of them enjoyed the confusion that broke out in the SPR office when they walked holding hands, not even remotely bickering.

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So, what do you think? I'll have a Lin-san one to. I just have so many ideas of things to have Lin do. I LOVE LIN!!! Remember, reviews Love, Love Happy me, Happy me more story, more story happy you! 


	6. Lin's love

Hey, one of many Lin centerd drabbels, I've got to many ideas for him. Anyway, be warned, my best friend accused me of being a Fluff bunny after reading this, so be prepared for some major Lin-san Fluff. This one has a few Oliver Davis spoilers, if you actually read certain parts. No reading between the lines necassary, so please remember that you have been warned.

**Bold: English**

_Italics: Thoughts_

Flames will be used to further Pyro abilities! Please review and be kind.

"Oyasumi, Boku no Hime-sama" means "Goodnight, My princess." I'm pretty sure we all know a little bit of Japanese, but it never hurts to put in a translation of full sentences, Ne?

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Lin-san was not known for his athletic abilities, despite having perfect physical fitness. So why was he at the beach, swimming a marathon distance? Perhaps he was training for a triathlon? No. Perhaps he was trying to calm down enough to refrain from throttling his "Boss"? Yes, that's what he was trying to do. Swimming had always calmed his nerves. The water was cool against his skin and the sounds made by other sounds striking the water made him feel like he was a million miles away from his narcissistic charge. He thought about all sorts of things. How his mother was doing in her last letter, his sister's pregnancy, his mother's prodding to know if what Naru had written was true and if it was when would she get to meet his girlfriend. The usual nosy parents wanting grandchildren from their only son type of letter. The fact that he was also the oldest child did nothing to ease his parents' fervent attempts to see him married to a good woman and having lots of children running around, despite the fact that Lin was not the greatest with children.

'_A fact_,' thought Lin, wryly, '_well proven by the case a few years ago at a church at Christmas time._' The spirit of a young boy, who thought Lin was his father, had possessed Taniyama-san. Not even halfway through the case, Lin had snapped, yelled at Mai, and sent her running into a tree to hide from all of them. '_Not a very fatherly thing to do_.' Lin thought, as he continued his swim.

When he finally emerged, dripping wet with his dark green swim trunks clinging to his skin, he was surprised to find his beach towel occupied by a woman. He was pleasantly surprised because the woman was his steady girlfriend, Tara Smith, better known as 'Yuki'. He walked slowly, studying the form lounging on his towel and reading a book. Yuki was 5'3", a startling contrast to his own 6'4"; she was slender, wearing a black one-piece swimsuit and a black sheer wrap around her waist, her neck-length brown hair pulled back as best as she could manage, her brown eyes hidden by her black sunglasses. She looked up at him as he got closer.

"**Hey ya, Handsome. Whatcha' Doin'**?" She asked him in slightly southernized English.

"**Calming down so I don't kill Naru and end up in jail for the rest of my life. And you**?" Lin replied in English as well.

"Watching." He smiled at her quick shift back to Japanese.

"Watching what?" He reached into the cooler she'd brought with her and pulled out a bottle of iced tea.

"You." He nearly choked on his tea; cause Yuki to look at him worriedly from over the top of her sunglasses. She pounded on his back until he stopped coughing.

"Me? Why me?"

"Because I'm your girlfriend and I wanted to, that's why. Not to mention that, but I wanted to be able to rescue you from the women on these beaches that prey on handsome, tall, Chinese men, in the event that they decided that you fit that criteria. Which you do, by the way."

Lin smiled at his girlfriend. Girlfriend. That was a word that Lin hadn't expected to reenter his vocabulary any time in the years following his break-up with his Hong Kong sweet heart, Ju Mei. He thought about her and he still felt upset by what happened. At first, he had done his work, and fumed in the privacy of his own home. He moved back to England, under the pretence of wanting to do more studying in that country. After calling the Davis's, Lin had taken up residence in the home of his second family. Dealing with the twin psychic brothers, Oliver and Eugene was slightly challenging, due to the teenage hormone changes and, in Oliver's case, fluctuating PK strength. After Eugene died, he and Oliver came to Japan to search for Eugene's remains. They returned to England after finding them. About a year later, they were back in Japan to do more work with the paranormal. A few months later, he bumped, literally, into Mai's next-door neighbor, Yuki, and they had coffee together. Soon after that they began dating. While they hadn't announced their relationship to anyone, they considered themselves a steady couple. They both liked their relationship private, that was that. To think it had been six years since Ju Mei dumped him for, as she called the guy, a "Family man". Lin put his arms around Yuki's waist and pulled her closer into him, onto his lap. She nestled perfectly into his arms, as if, despite major height differences, she was meant to occupy that space. Lin tightened his grip on her and rested his head on her collarbone. He felt her shiver slightly as his breath tickled the skin of her neck. He loved holding her. That was all either of them really needed in their relationship. Some times they didn't even need that. Neither of them were touchy-feely people. A little bit of cuddling now and then, quick kisses, a few passionate one here and there, a lot of hand holding, anything more and neither one of them would be within their comfort range. Still, from time to time there was a need, on one or the other side, some times both, for that type of enclosing hold. This time, they both needed their respective parts of that hold. Lin needed his arms around her. She needed the protective encasement that his body made for hers. The two of them sat there, on the beach, for what must have been hours. Yuki was the first to stir, not because she wanted out of Lin's possessive hug, but because she wanted to be leaned into him in a more comfortable manner. Feeling her move slightly, Lin looked down at her, only to find her sleeping soundly, her back to his chest. A smile found it's way across his face as he slowly shifted onto his side. He laid her head on his arm and wrapped the other one around her waist. He kissed her cheek gentle. They lay there like until the sun began to set. Lin kissed Yuki's lips gently, rubbing his hand around in circles on her back. She stirred and her eyes fluttered open slowly.

"**Mmmm. Lin? Where am I? What time is it**?" She asked sleepily. She was beautiful when she just woke up like that.

"It's sunset. We're on the beach, remember? I came here for a swim and you came to watch."

"**Oh yeah**. Mmmmm. I'm still tiered."

"Well, you lay here. I'm going to put this stuff in your truck. I don't want you driving half asleep, so I'll come up here in the morning with Naru to get my car if it's to late when you get home."

"Kay." Yuki laid her head down in on her arm and closed her eyes, while Lin quickly packed up the stuff and loaded it in the back of Yuki's black pick-up. Then he gently picked up the once again sleeping Yuki and carried her to the truck. He set her in the passenger side seat and buckled her in. Quickly folding up the beach towel and putting it in the bag, Lin threw on a black t-shirt and started the vehicle. He drove to the parking lot of Yuki's apartment complex. He picked Yuki up, bridal style, and carried her up to her apartment. Mai heard him fumbling with Yuki's keys and opened the door for Lin. She said that she would get the stuff out of the back of the truck and took off. Lin carried Yuki to her room. While he had been loading the truck, Yuki had put on a denim skirt and dark blue button down, short-sleeved shirt. He laid her down on her bed gently and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Oyasumi, Boku no Hime-sama." He smiled, pulled the covers over the sleeping form of his girlfriend, turned around and left. He said good-bye to Taniyama-san and got on the bus that would take him back to the beach. He drove his black T-top corvette back to his apartment. After checking to make sure Naru was inside his apartment, as it was 9 o'clock and time for Naru's curfew, Lin opened the door to his house. He walked down the hall to his bathroom, passing his computer, the screen saver alone giving away his adoration of Yuki, and turning on the water to the showerhead. He walked down to his bedroom and dropped his stuff on the floor, out of the way of the door. Heading back to the bathroom he passed numerous pictures of Naru, Yuki, his family, the Davis's, Eugene, and the SPR gang. He took a quick shower and dried off. Changing into his sleeping clothes, Lin put the stuff in his bag where it belonged and got in bed. He set his alarm clock and turned off the lights. He fell asleep. His dreams, as always, were about Yuki. And only Yuki.

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Much love and virtual cookies to every one that reviews for this and any of my other fics! Please come back soon! **:D**


	7. Mai Hates Kimonos

I don't own Ghost Hunt, so WILL YOU CRAZY PEOPLE LET ME GO HOME?!!!

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Mai fidgeted. Of all the things that she hated, wearing a kimono and dealing with formal affairs were the two she hated most. It was even worse because she was doing both! Sitting at the table, Mai wondered if it was possible to feign sick. It's not that she didn't like the kimono, she just hated _wearing _one. It's not that she disliked formal affairs, she just didn't like _attending _them. So, why on earth was she sitting at a table for a formal dinner, wearing a kimono and try to resist the urge to scream? Simple. That sneaky jerk, Naru, had tricked her into it. Of all the low-down no-good tricks he'd pulled, in her mind this was the worst!Flashback… 

"Mai. Do you own a kimono?" Naru's question startled the poor girl.

"Huh? Uh, Hai. I have one that was my mother's. Why do you ask?"

"SPR, the regulars and irregulars, has been invited to a dinner. It is requested that the women wear kimonos."

"And the men get to wear normal, well-pressed clothes, ne?"

"Yes."

"No. Not going. If they ask, tell them, tell them that I am currently unable to attend due to the mourning of a close friend."

"Mai." Naru proceeded to give Mai the 'You're-going-because-I-said-so-now-get-back-to-work-or-else' look. Mai coward away from Naru's patented glare.

"Alright. I'll go." Naru simply nodded and walked back into his office. 'Stupid narcissitic jerk!'

"I heard that Mai."

'Crap! I have got to stop thinking out loud!'

"Yes, you do."

'CRAP!'

End Flashback… 

Okay, so he hadn't really tricked her. That doesn't change the fact that she's sitting here, in a kimono, trying desperately not to show her discomfort. Masako seemed very at home, but considering the fact that she was a TV star, and she wore a kimono nearly every time you saw her, in person or on TV, that was no shock.

Naru glanced across the table at his young employee. Despite the fact that he had the felling that Mai would like to crush him for bringing her here, he personally liked the evening. After all, despite Mai's dislike of the dress, the kimono that she was wearing looked nice on her. The kimono was a very dark green silk, with sakura patterns scattered along it a various places. Her hair, which was rather short, was pulled back into a small bun, a hair stick holding it into place. The hair stick had little purple glass beads on the end, arranged in such a way that it looked like a bunch of wisteria flowers, which complimented the kimono very well. The dinner finally came to an end, even Naru had gotten a tad fidgety at the end, and the guests were invited to look around. Naru grab Mai's arm and looped it around his own.

"What are you doing?" Mai's cheeks flushed slightly. She wouldn't tell Naru, but the more he opened up, the more she liked him.

"I don't want you bolting to the door at the first chance you get." Mai glared, something that looked much less threatening when you take her blush into consideration.

Some how, the two of them ended up on the balcony.

"You look very nice. Like a lady, despite your obvious lack of feminine grace." Naru's compliments had a way of turning into insults.

"Thank you. You look rather nice as well, despite your insufferable narcissism." Mai had spent way too much time around Naru. They understood each other well enough to know that neither of them had meant their insults to the other. Eventually, to long a period of time in Mai's mind, they walked out the door and headed home. Lin-san was nice enough to drop her off at her apartment, and Naru walked her to her door to make sure she made it safely, after all, Taniyama Mai was a bit of a magnet for dangerous situations. How she had survived all these years was a mystery to both of the silent men she worked with. After she was safely inside with the door locked, Naru and Lin went back to their apartments. Mai quickly shed the kimono that she had worn and changed quickly into her normal pajamas. Mai went to sleep quickly, after putting the kimono away. There was no way Naru would know; she was falling in love with him. The real Naru that she was slowly getting to see.

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Okay. So maybe I'm turning into a Fluff Monkey. It's not that bad, right? Please review! 


	8. Jealous Naru!

I don't own Ghost Hunt, **NOW LET ME GO HOME**!!

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Naru wasn't sure why he was upset. After all, Mai's private life was just that, PRIVATE! It had nothing to do with him, he had no say (And no right to say) in it, and she didn't talk about it very much. When she did talk about it, it was very short, and gave very little insight as to what happened after hours. Still, Naru was upset, for some reason, after over-hearing Mai tell Takigawa that, though she would love to come to see his band play in concert (which she had done just about every time they played), she couldn't because she had promised to spend that evening with her guy-friend. Not a Boyfriend, she had assured the ex-monk, just a childhood friend that happened to be a guy. So, why was Naru upset? Takigawa had insisted that he met this young man before letting Mai go any where with her. She had said that he'd have to come to the office that day, because her friend was going to pick her up from work.

"What's this Gaki's name?" asked Bou-san.

"He is not a Gaki! His name is Ryuu, if you _must _know." Despite the fact that he had had the door to his office shut, Naru could easily picture Mai as she fussed at the well-meaning monk. Of course, when Mai went out to pick up lunch, Takigawa had phoned the others and told them all to be at the office on the day of Mai's 'Date', a fact that had done little to improve his dampening mood. Try as he might though, Naru could not figure out, for the life of him, exactly why Mai having a 'date' was so- so infuriating! Today was the day of Mai's date and his office sounded like a danged country club! This of course was no help to improve Naru's less than pleasant mood. Mai seemed to have picked-up on his temperament and was trying her best to keep the volume in the lobby down without telling them _everything_ that went on in her life after she left SPR each evening. She was doing a poor job at it, but at least she had the common sense to try. Naru heard the chime of a bell as the down opened and heard a voice try to get Mai's attention over the chaos that drenched the lobby.

"Mai-chan?" the office grew very quite as the door to Naru's office opened. He had taken all of this nonsense that he could handle.

"Will every one here please, quite down?" Naru's voice shook ever so slightly with a deadly calm that could have frozen hell. He gave the office irregulars one of his patented 'Keep-it-up-and-I'll-incinerate- you' glares as he stalked over to _his_ chair. "Mai. Tea." As usual, no thank you. Mai sighed and gave the young man in question an apologetic look. He nodded in understanding. Ryuu was 5'9" had black hair and gray eyes. He was wearing a red t-shirt and jeans, as well as black canvas shoes.

"So, you're Mai's date, ne?" Takigawa was the first one to get the guts to speak again.

"I guess you could say that, although Mai and I aren't dating. I've known her since she was a kid, we're just friends. My name is Minamoto Ryuu."

"Takigawa Housho. So, you've known Mai since she was little, huh?"

"Yes sir. I met Mai for the first time when she was four and she moved into the house down the street. Ah, she's changed a lot since then! She was a tad bit intimidating when she was small. She had a glare for every emotion! She glared even when she was happy! Now, she's not a very intimidating figure, unless you're trying to steal the last piece of chocolate!" Ryuu laughed as Mai glared at him in a way that scared the others.

"Now, now, Ryuu. Don't go making me look bad in front of them! I'll have to tell your _girlfriend, _Cho, about the time you started crying when I dressed up in that white dress. You screamed 'GHOST!' and ran off crying." Mai gave a triumphant smirk as Ryuu paled noticeably.

"You wouldn't."

"Want to bet?"

"No."

"Did you really think Mai-san was a ghost? Oh, I'm John Brown, by the way."

"Minamoto Ryuu. And yes, I did. She was very pale. Not to mention she had very fine hair. It was really long, relatively light, and it caught the light so that she looked a little like she was glowing. And it was nighttime, so her hair caught the moonlight giving her a silver blue glow. We had been playing hide-and-seek while the grown-ups talked about politics and education and other serious things. Mai had been wearing this white dress that looked a little like an old fashioned nightgown, she hated it, by the way, and I was It. So all the other kids ran off to hide while I counted. No one could ever find Mai, something that earned her the nickname, Yurei. I found every one and yelled up the stairs that she could come out now. I started up the stairs and as I reached the middle landing, I looked up and she was standing at the top of the stairs. All the area behind her was really dark and it looked like she was glowing. I was only five at the time, so I freaked out and screamed that I saw a ghost and Mai ran off in the other direction and it took us a full thirty minutes to get her to come down off the roof. So, yeah. I acted like an idiot and she won't let me live it down." He rubbed his the back of his head in an embarrassed manner as he chuckled.

"She was on the roof?" Naru looked at the young man.

"Yeah. She liked high places, despite a knack for falling. Ouch!" Ryuu yelped as Mai stomped on his foot.

"I always landed on my feet. Or your head. Which ever was easier."

"So you have a girlfriend, Gaki?" Takigawa asked.

"Bou-san!"

"It's alright, Yurei. (Mai glared at him) Yes, I do."

"And she's okay with the two of you going out?"

"She's Mai's cousin. She knows that Mai obeys the law of 'He's dating a relative so I can't even think about liking him.' Besides. Mai-chan has a crush on some one. And the real reason Mai's spending the evening with me is because I need her help picking out an engagement ring that Cho would like. I'm her boyfriend, but Cho has very- _unique _tastes in jewelry. So Mai's going to help me so that I can surprise Cho."

"Speaking of which, have you planned on how you're going to ask her?" Mai turned towards him as she asked.

"Dinner on our anniversary. A tad cliché but still, I think it's a good idea."

"A very good idea!"

Naru didn't know why, but the knowledge that Mai wasn't going to date this guy made his day a lot better. He also didn't know why he was both happy and unhappy about the fact that she had a crush. But Naru did know that he was happy to know that she was happy. And that he would more than likely never fully understand why.

* * *

Okay, it official, according to my friend, I am now a Fluff Monkey. I'd be a bunny but my Zodiac is a monkey, hence 'Fluff Monkey'. More Lin centered drabbels to come in the future, so bear with me as a shift through my ideas! Suggestions are welcomed! Please come back next time! 


	9. Dream of Her

Please, review. I'll have to stop writting if you don't. It's depressing! I write, post, and then wait. One or two people review. I don't even know if anyone liked the Angst Mai chap! And that's the one that I'm worried about. Though I admit, I'm bad a writting genki characters. I do serious or random. But genki is hard.

* * *

The case had been awful; leaving a sleep-deprived Shibuya Kazuya in its wake. Now Naru, as Kazuya was often called, was trying desperately not to fall asleep at his desk. He was fighting a losing battle. The world went black.

He slept.

The world around him was white with snow. The smell of the pine trees hung heavily in the air. He was running. He was searching, but for what, he knew not. All that he knew was that he has to find it, before it was gone forever.

Red stained snow caught his eye. 'It' was at the end of the red trail. That thing that he had to find, it was at the end of that trail.

His body was beginning to slow. And then he saw it.

He saw her.

Kazuya's eyes widened.

Sprinting the rest of the distance in record time, Kazuya reached her. Falling to his knees, he quickly gathered the lifeless form in his arms. He kissed the soft lips, withdrawing quickly at the touch. They were as cold as the snow around him. He began to cry silently. He hung his head as he clutched the small form tighter. He had lost his happiness before. She had brought the sun back! Now she was gone.

"Oh, Mai! Please, wake up. Please, bring back spring!"

For the first time in a long time, Kazuya lost his composure. His voice cracked as he said her name over and over again.

How had this happen? She wasn't allowed to get hurt. What had done this?

What had done this to Mai?

What he wouldn't give to have five minutes with her. To hear her voice and see those brown eyes, so full of life. To tell her that he loved her.

She was supposed to stay safe. His Mai was supposed to stay safe!

And now, she was gone.

He jerked up right in his chair panting. That nightmare was terrifying! Had it really been a dream? It seemed so horribly real.

Then he heard her voice. It was going to be all right. She was still alive. And Mai wasn't going to leave him!

He stood up. The blanket that had been covering him fell to the floor. He picked it up and folded it quickly. Exiting his office, he saw her.

She looked up at him. Her brown eyes sparkling with laughter. He informed her that he was going out for a little while.

She watched, worried, as he left the building. He had fallen asleep at his desk. When she covered him with a blanket, she had noticed that his sleep seemed fitful. Why had a tear slid down his cheek? Was he reliving THAT? Or was it just a nightmare brought about by fatigue?

Kazuya navigated down the streets quickly. He had to tell her. Some how. He just had to.

What did she like? Poetry, flowers, cats, (He thinks he's paid far to much attention to her habits for her not to have noticed, but she is a tad dense) angels, a good book and a glass of tea on a rainy day, walking through the park, she was a typical teenage girl, with the exception of her psychic abilities.

He saw a bookstore and walked in. Looking around in a bookstore always calmed his thoughts. Then he saw a book that he knew she would like. Maybe he could…

He bought the book. Then went back to the office.

She was waiting for him. 'Please be careful.' Her eyes seemed to say. He walked past her into his office as he delivered his order for tea. She quickly headed to the kitchenette to get the tea ready.

He sat at his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. He quickly wrote a small note, telling her his feelings for her. Folding the note, he slid it into the book. She brought in his tea and told him that she would be back in a minute. He nodded in agreement. The sound of the door closing making it obvious that she was gone.

He sat the book on her desk. A rose was placed gently on the top of the book.

The chime of the bell alerted him to the opening of the door. Her voice told him that it was she. He wondered how she'd react to the book. He didn't hear the door to his office open.

"What brought this about?" She stood in the doorway, the book held in one hand by her chest, the other hand holding the note.

"The worst dream ever."

She smiled slightly. She walked over to him, his mind memorizing every step she took. She held her hand out to him and pulled him out of his chair. He held her, she held him. They weren't out of the woods yet, but they were getting there. Slowly, they were getting to a point where they were comfortable with their relationship; they had just taken the first big step.

* * *

Okay, so the 'Please bring back spring' line was a tad, what the word? I can't think of it. But still... please review. 


	10. Flashback to the day we met, LinxYuki

More Lin!! The fangirl in me loved writting this! Please review. Flames will do!!!

**Bold:English**

Underline: Chinese

_Underlined Italics: French_

* * *

Lin wasn't sure why, but he had an idea that he could get used to this. Lying on a pallet of blankets on the floor, watching a movie with Yuki, he was the happiest he had been in a long time. He wasn't sure why they were watching 'House of Flying Daggers' with the English subtitles though, because Yuki spoke Chinese rather well.

"Yuki?"

"Hm?"

"Why are we watching this with the English subtitles?"

"Force of habit. I always watched it like this, I'm so used to it that I just hit the play button, never mid the fact that it has English subtitles, or that I speak Chinese."

"I'll never understand you completely. Still, I can always try."

"You're not afraid of failing on that point?" Her eyebrows shot up.

"I'm not Noll."

"True. You're not Noll, but some of his habits may have rubbed off on you, since you have to spend so much time around him."

"I hope not."

"You're not the only one." Yuki made a face. Lin smiled at her. Yuki could be serious one moment and completely childish the next. He found himself thinking of the day he met her.

Flashback… 

Lin was walking through the library. Maybe there wasn't anything he was really looking for. Libraries were calming, quiet places, where one could go to read, surf online, and refrain from killing their boss. No wait. That was just him. He wasn't really watching were he was going and ran straight into a young woman, about twenty-six, with snow pale skin, short brown hair, brown eyes, 5'3" tall, wearing a denim skirt, light green shirt, and denim jacket.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going!"

"It's alright. I'm partially to blame as well. I wasn't paying attention either." Lin helped the woman gather her books. Most of them were about parapsychology. The others were just classic literature. "You have quite a unique taste in books. My name is Lin."

"Tara Smith."

"You're English?"

"American. You wouldn't happen to know a Taniyama Mai, where she is, and when I'll be able to call her?"

"Yes. I work with her. She's at the office. And you know her-?"

"I'm her next door neighbor, best friend, and partial guardian. Partial in the fact that she's legally able to take care of herself, so I just have the job of being the worrying older sister figure. I'm eight years older than she is."

"If she's seventeen, then that means that your twenty-five."

"I'll turn twenty-six this year. Just like she'll turn eighteen this year."

"Would you like to go get some coffee?"

"Yes. I would."

"Here. I'll get some of these books for you."

"Thank you."

Later..

"Okay, now let me get this straight. You only drink iced coffee with a higher sugar content than a bar of chocolate? Isn't that a bit much?"

"Maybe."

_wei shen me __ni wei shen me_

_lao shi ba kong qi quan dou xi guang le  
hai de wo__ni hai de wo_

_zai ni mian qian hu xi ji cu xu yao jiao jiu hu che  
bie kan wo__xian bie kan wo_

_wo de lian hong jiu kuai yao bao liao le  
mei shen me__na you shen me_

_wo shi jue dui bu hui cheng ren wo xi huan ni le _

_zen me bang an jue tian you suan  
tou tou ai ni kuai le you gu dan  
zen me banai que bu neng jiang  
ni zhen tao yanbu lai bang wo de mang _

"Eh? Sorry, that's my cell phone. Moshi moshi? Ah! I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you. Yes. Yes. I understand. Thank you very much. Yes. My boss will be very happy to hear that. Yes. Thank you. You too. Have a nice day. Good bye."Lin raised his eyebrows gracefully.

"You speak Chinese?"

"Yes. It was a little difficult to learn, after all, I was about ten when I started learning, and that's past the age when children learn best. But in the end it was worth it. I have a job translating for a company here in Japan. English is my first language, so naturally, I'm good with that, but China is right next door, so it seemed like a good idea to learn Japanese and Chinese at the same time."

"You speak it well."

"Not really. I'm still learning it really."

"And? There are words that I don't know. That's the way it goes. Your vocabulary will improve as you study."

"You're right." They continued talking for a little while.

End Flashback… 

The movie was almost over. Yuki lay sleeping next to him. They were face to face, with only a few inches between them. Lin watched her breathing as it moved a few strands of hair that fell over his arm. With out even realizing it, he had laid her head on his arm. Her breath was warm on his arm. He placed his other arm gently on the small dip at her waist. He loved being near her.

She was always asking questions, only some of which were normal. After a little bit of prodding, Lin and Mai had gotten Yuki to take a test for telepathy and psychometry. She fussed, but passed. Mai wasn't surprised in the least. Yuki, on the other hand, freaked out a little. She was happy about it though.

Some of her questions were things like, '_What if the world is all a dream in some ones head?' _or '_Does being an extremely empathetic person mean that you may be Clairsensitive?'_. He wasn't sure where all these questions came from, but he knew that she had a lot of answers.

He looked around her living room. The bookshelves that lined the one wall were almost entirely about parapsychology. She made it a hobby, not a profession, but it was still nice, having a girlfriend who would understand when you weren't able to make a lunch date because of a case. Of course, it helped that Mai lived right next door. After all, because Mai lived right next door, Yuki often knew about the case and was able to reassure him that she didn't mind if he rescheduled their date.

Lin sighed. Even if she said it was okay, he always felt a little guilty about constantly having to reschedule. He tried to make up for it by doing little things, like calling her every day, or sending her flowers. She always laughed at him for worrying so much.

She stirred a little in her sleep. "Lin."

He felt his eyes widen a little. She had said his name in her sleep.

Lin smiled as he ran his fingers along the soft skin of her arm. Her eyes fluttered open. She gave him a sleepy, I-just-woke-up type of smile.

"**Hello."**

"**Hello to you too. How long have I been asleep?"**

"**Since the part where they're fighting in the field."**

"**That long? I'm sorry."**

"Don't be. You're cute when you're sleeping. Actually, you're cute all the time, but when you're sleeping I can really look at you and memorize every detail about you."

"**Hmmmm. Why are we speaking English?"**

"**Because, I felt like it. **_Je t'aime_"

"**No fair. I don't speak French!" **

"**You knew what I was saying though."**

"**Only cause you've said to me a hundred times before!" **She pouted a little. Lin laughed at the face she made.

"The only reason I've said it a hundred times before is because everyday it becomes more and more like something I want to shout to the world, so instead, I tell you, so that I don't make a scene and cause you to faint from embarrassment."

"Humph!" She snuggled in closer to him and they stayed like that until the sunrise.

* * *

Je t'aime is French for 'I love you'. 

Yuki's ringtone is "Zen me Ban" By S.H.E. Samth3bear has a great video for NaruxMai to that song.

Please review!! P.s. I don't speak French, I just know a few words.


	11. MAJOR SPOILERS!, Photograph

Major spoilers. Read at own risk.

**Bold:English**

_Italics: Thoughts._

* * *

Oliver Davis looked around the room he and Eugene were going to share. Oliver Davis. That was his name now. And Eugene was the name they'd give his twin brother. They, Martin and Luella Davis. His new parents, _Eugene_'s new parents, their new parents. The room was very large, at least it seemed that way to the two boys. The room was a burgundy color, the curtains were a similar color, there were two bookshelves, a TV and VCR, there were two beds with dark blue sheets, two night stands one for each bed, the beds were placed across for each other. There was a simple black clock on the wall, and alarm clocks on both nightstands. The large bay window that the curtains had hidden had a window seat that lifted up, revealing a few toys, mainly wooden ones, like blocks. The two boys walked around the room silently. It was bigger than anything that they were used to. Eugene found the window seat.

"Hey, Noll! Come over here!"

"'Noll'?" Oliver walked over towards his twin.

"Yeah. That's what I heard them call some kid named Oliver at the orphanage! That means that I'd be called 'Gene', because that's what they called that man named Eugene!" Gene laughed at his brother's face.

'_What's so funny_?'

'_Your face, that's what.'_

"Anyway, look! There's a huge back yard, with a tree and a pond and-"

"And it's raining right now so it's not much to look at."

"Awww, Noll! You're so serious! You know what? You're probably going to be a scientist!"

"And what will you be?"

"I don't know. Whatever it is, I'll have fun doing it, that's for certain."

"**Oliver, Eugene, time for lunch!"**

"**Coming, Mrs. Davis." **Footsteps alerted the boys to some one coming down the hall.

"You know, you don't have to call me 'Mrs. Davis', right? Martin and I adopted you. So that means that you can call me 'Mom' and you can call Martin 'Dad'. Okay? Oh, and there are a few people that I'd like you to meet."

"**Okay"**

"**Sure!" **The boys followed their mother down the stairs and to the dinning room.

"**Boys, this is Madako Mori and this is Koujo Lin."** Their mother introduced them to a woman, about eighteen years old, and a boy about the same age. "**They're helping Martin with his job. Okay, now that every body knows every one, lets have lunch!" **Mrs. Davis smiled and clapped her hands together as she and Madako went to get the food.

Later…

"I don't think Lin-san likes us very much. I wonder why?"

"He's probably not used to children."

"Maybe I should ask him?" Gene looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. Noll just rolled his eyes as he unpacked the few belongings that he had.

"I'm going to go get a shower." Noll walked out of the room, not even giving his brother a chance to reply.

"Yep. You're definitely going to be a scientist, Noll!" Gene laughed a little bit until Lin came in.

"**Oh, Hello Mr. Koujo. Is there something that I can help you with?"**

"**Mrs. Davis asked that I make sure that you and your brother were alright**." Lin's voice was cold.

"**Oh! Noll went to get cleaned up." **Lin nodded and turned to leave the room.

"**Hey, wait a second! I was just wondering, is there a reason that you don't seem to like Noll and me?" **Gene looked at the young man expectantly. Noll walked into the room, his hair still wet.

"I hate the Japanese." Lin speaking in Japanese threw both boys off a little. What he said threw Gene a major side- winder.

"Well, that's just stupid." Noll turned away and proceeded to look in his drawers for- something, completely oblivious to the young man's glare.

"Why?" Gene just looked at the older boy.

"Don't you know what they did in China years ago?"

"Yes, but that doesn't explain why you would hate me. I don't mind if you hate me. But don't hate me because I'm Japanese, or an orphan. If you have to hate me, don't hate me for something that I can't change." Noll looked over at his brother. He had seen Gene like this before. This was his 'I-believe-in-what-I-say' mode. Noll shook his head and went back to looking for whatever it was he was looking for.

As for Lin, he left the room. A few days later he apologized to both boys, and began to try (A/N: 'try' is the key word there.) to keep an eye on them. Just after Lin left the room, Noll found what it was he was looking for. It was a camera that Martin, his new father, had given him.

"Hey, Gene!" Gene turned and Noll snapped the picture. The little card came out and the two boys waited to see how Noll's picture came out. There was Gene, standing in their new room.

"**That's no good, Noll! We need one that has both of us in it." **At that moment, Madako went by.

"**Hey. Do you guys need a little help with a camera?"**

"**Yes!" **Gene exclaimed. Noll handed Madako the camera and she took the picture. On the back of it, Gene wrote, '_Eugene & Oliver Davis. Age 8._'

Years later, Oliver Davis sat at his desk in his office in Shibuya. His newly hired assistant, Taniyama Mai, was completely unaware of who her boss really was as she brought him a cup of tea. Noll looked at the picture, taped carefully to the inside back cover of a notebook.

'_Well, Gene. I'd better find you soon. Or else I might become attached to this place_.' Noll thought to himself, as he looked out his window at the scenery of downtown Shibuya. He was right. He did get attached. But not to a place. He became attached to a young woman with short brown hair, brown eyes, and enough compassion to care for a narcissist like him. The name of his miracle was Taniyama Mai.


	12. Even Angels Know Pain

**Many thanks to my beta, SSJ4 Sailor Menz! Sailor had to read two very different stories for this same idea, and being the wonderful person that Sailor is, she betaed both stories, so if you want to read the other one, just review or message me. So, here goes nothing. Warning, contains spoilers, angst Mai, and OCs. Don't like it? To bad.**

* * *

Mai was lying in her bed, her face blank as she stared at the cracked ceiling with unblinking eyes. However, should one decide to take a closer look they would see those eyes brimming with tears threatening to spill. 

'Today started off as a normal day at the office!', she thought to herself, 'What the _**Heck **_happened?!'

It was Sunday. A cool, dreary, wet one at that. She had dressed appropriately, in a pair of stonewashed jeans, a maroon turtleneck and her stonewashed jean jacket with a simple red rose embroidered on the back. The rose had been embroidered on there by her mother; hence why Mai had always been reluctant to part with it. There was another reason as to why she held on to it but that's all beside the point. The point was, Mai had never felt this miserable for herself in her whole life. Why? What happened to cause this despair? Mai rolled over in her bed, burying her face in her pillow as she mentally reviewed her worst day ever, bar none!

* * *

Beep-beep-beep-beep 

"Ugh! Stupid alarm clock! Just five more minutes! Please?"

Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep 

"Alright! Alright!" Mai sighed as she fumbled around; looking for her clock but her hand came in contact with the lamp instead. Strange. She didn't remember there being a lamp on her nightstand. Eyes snapping wide open, Mai bolted upright, relieved when she realized that she had merely fallen asleep on her couch. Mai was not one to put faith in her dreams, even if she did have psychic abilities. Still, she had to admit, as she hurried through the process of getting ready for the day, that dream had her wondering if she should call in sick. Reliving the last moment that she had with her sister…

No! She wouldn't get depressed! She slapped herself, although immediately regretting it as her cheeks now stung a little.

Stinging cheeks aside, Mai turned towards her mirror and her gaze landed on her reflection. Her inspecting gaze suddenly turned into a glare as she noticed her somewhat zombie like appearance. Why no one had cared enough to notice, or at least voice something that bore resemblance to concern was beyond her. The dark rings around her eyes were a dead giveaway (she smiled wryly at the pun) to the fact that her sleep had been- _disturbed_ these last few nights. Why she kept reliving those final moments was completely beyond her.

She pulled her turtleneck over her head. Rushing to the door, she quickly flung her jacket on, slid into her tennis shoes, grabbed her purse and bolted out the door, almost forgetting to lock it. She was in a hurry. She wasn't running late, her usual reason for rushing, but she just had to get out of that house.

Away from those pictures that hung on her wall, all but mocking her, and yet still bringing so many happy memories.

That was why she was running. Today, those happy memories were the bane of her existence. What she needed was a day of work. The familiar, even comforting, feeling that she felt when she was doing her job. Sure, most of the work was routine, and in all honesty, Naru probably didn't really need her help. However unknown to him, to all of them really, she needed that work.

After all, it kept her sane.

Before she had gone straight home after school, a little worn, but not so much that she couldn't sense that dreadful feeling of being alone. Now she had her job, and though she usually still arrived home only a little more tired than usual, that loneliness was not as obvious. Lately though, she kept seeing those last few moments, and seeing the doctor come in and telling her that her sister was…

No! She wiped the trickling tears with a ferocity that would have startled those who knew her. It would never do to let the others see her like this! She smiled as she walked into the office that was almost a second home to her. She was the only one there and she set about preparing for Naru's and Lin's arrival, quickly yet efficiently.

Mai sighed. She knew they would be at her apartment soon. She had run out of the office only an hour after they had all arrived. She really didn't want to be home when they came pounding on her door but she was exhausted. Mai was a sprinter, not an endurance runner, but wouldn't you know it? Lin-san was a high-speed endurance runner. It had taken all her energy, a lot of detours into side streets and slipping into alleys to ditch him. She knew they would be there soon.

* * *

Naru? I was wondering if you could help me. You see, I was asked to go to this house that the owner claimed to be haunted and while I was there, I noticed a spirit standing near the wood line across the street. During lunch I made way to talk to her. She was a little girl. She told me her name, and told me that she was looking for her twin sister. I asked her if she knew that she was dead, she said yes. She explained that her passing away was from being hit by a car. I asked her for her sister's name, but she wouldn't say. She said her sister was a tad reclusive and that she had seen her once before and that she really needed to talk to her. The problem is that she couldn't go talk to her herself because her sister wasn't really focusing when she was trying to communicate. I was hoping that you might be able to help me find her sister so that I could try to arrange for the two of them to talk." Masako finished while looking at Naru expectantly. Naru sighed a little, as he tried to convince himself not to take this because it was too similar to his story with Gene. 

While this exchange was going on, Mai thought it a good idea to quickly gather her boss's empty teacup and go refill it but not before setting down a cup of the steaming brew in front of Masako. Masako looked away from Naru long enough to mutter a quick 'thank you' and take a sip of her beverage.

"What was this girl's name?" Naru's voice sounded a tad cold, but then again it always did.

"Taniyama Sakura."

Crash!

Everyone looked towards the kitchenette at the sound.

"Mai?" Naru had only said her name, but it was a command for her to respond and let him know that she was all right. She didn't say a word as she walked out of the kitchenette, her hand bleeding a little from where she had cut herself cleaning up the glass. She grabbed her coat and her bag before heading for the door.

"Sorry. I'm just feeling a little ill. Studying for spring finals is murder. I'm going to call in sick for the rest of today, so I don't end up dropping anything else."

Before she could open the door, Bou san jumped to his and made his way towards her, "Oi, Jo-chan. Wait up. I'll walk you home. You look beat."

"Thanks but no."

With that she left.

"Mai!" She didn't stop, especially not when she heard her name. They had started running after her as soon as she had left. The tears that she thought she had banished earlier had come back and this time they wouldn't go away. She could feel the hot, salty liquid running down her face and she knew the others wouldn't miss it. She had been right. They had tried to catch up with her, but Mai's days as an outcast had taught her well, and soon she had lost every one except Lin-san. Even if she ditched him she knew they would catch up but she needed to be alone. Although at the same time, she needed to be with family.

Around the bend, over the four-foot high wall, through the wisteria trellis, down the slide and across the merry-go-round at the carnival, she'd finally lost him. She made her way to her apartment, only a few yards away and up the elevator. Her legs gave out as soon as she walked into the elevator and she collapsed onto its carpeted floor; dizzy from fatigue and all the ups and downs she had just subjected herself to._

* * *

_

Meanwhile, the others had caught up to Lin, who was breathing a little harder than Naru, but not as hard as Takigawa.

"I don't know for certain, but I'm going to assume that she's gone to go to her apartment. It's only a little ways away from here and Mai-san is defiantly not an endurance runner. She'll probably be tired from all the running. Out of pure and simple curiosity, Hara-san, didn't it occur to you that Mai-san might have had siblings? It's not uncommon, nor would a change in character on Mai-san's part be so drastic." Lin fixed the psychic in a questioning glare, causing the young woman to shift uncomfortably.

"The thought had occurred to me, yes. But it seemed so far fetched, Mai having gone through that, having had an identical twin, being the older of the two, losing her sister… Mai never mentioned ever having talked to one of her relatives that had died." Lin rolled his eyes at the young, kimono-wearing psychic.

"How many people, after seeing some of the mildest forms of mistreatment that psychics are often subjected to, would say anything about talking to a dead family member? How many people talk about that period? It is something personal. It makes more sense to believe that she wouldn't talk about it. Do you not think so?"

"Yes. I suppose I do." Lin sighed. He wasn't the most caring of people, but he knew the psychic was punishing herself for her own stupidity and that he didn't need to add to it.

"Let's just see if I was right and she went to her apartment." The others nodded and they walked to the building right as Mai staggered through the door and locked it.

* * *

'Someone's knocking at my door.' Mai was half asleep but managed to haul herself out of bed, completely forgetting that the people on the other side of the door would want an explanation. 

"Bou-san?" Mai was pale and looked fevered.

"Oi, kiddo, you can't do that to us."

"Sorry." Mai fell forward and into Lin-san arms. He picked her up gently and carried her inside where he set her on the couch.

"I thought she'd come back here. Her forehead's a little warm but with a cool compress, some food and rest and she should be all right. Luckily she didn't try to do any more running." The others nodded and looked around the living room, the fact that Mai had a twin now made painfully obvious.

"How come we never saw these pictures before? We've visited lots of times, sometimes just showing up. How come we didn't know about this?"

"My guess is that Mai-san doesn't normally have them out. Perhaps she pulled them out because she's really missing her sister right now. Or maybe she just felt like it. I decided long ago to quit trying to understand women. It just can not be done."

"Unless, of course, you're a gay man." A new voice startled them. They turned to see Yuki standing there. They had met her a few times before, usually when they came round to visit Mai. "How is she?"

"Sleeping. She has a slight fever, but nothing really to worry too much about." Yuki nodded and walked over to the couch.

"She's been dreaming about it lately. Those last few moments with Sakura. That's why she hasn't been sleeping much. She also hasn't been eating well but that's because she's never hungry after a troubled night of sleep. If she's not hungry, she won't eat."

"She's skinny enough already."

"Ehehehehe. Lin-san, perhaps I should remind you that you should never talk about how heavy a woman looks." Lin shook his head at the young woman, now shaking from silent laughter caused by some private joke that only she and Lin were in on.

"Anyway, that's beside the point." Lin gave her a look that told her to drop it.

* * *

_Seven and a half year old Taniyama Mai looked up from her copy of the book 'Dracula'. She had only just gotten it on her birthday, but it already looked like it was older than most of the other books in the house. She was sitting inside her nice, warm room reading a book._

"_Onee-chan?" Sakura walked in to the room._

"_Hai?" Mai looked up from her book, her disinterest turning into worry at the sight of Sakura's face. _

"_I can't find Edgar anywhere." Mai closed her book._

"_Go get your snow stuff on, that way you won't catch cold. I'll be there in a second, just let me get his leash." Sakura smiled and bounced off to get her snow gear. Mai sighed as she put away her book. That dumb dog! Edgar was their black lab and he was always running off. Mai shook her head as she buttoned her black trench coat up. The cold didn't bother her. She and Sakura headed out the door after telling their mother that they were going to find Edgar. _

"_Okay. Just come to the Minamoto's house when you find him. Remember, they're throwing their mother's youngest brother a graduation party."_

"_Kay, Mom!" Mai just nodded as Sakura waved goodbye. _

"_Edgar! Edgar, where are you?!" Sakura and Mai called for their dog. They were heading to the Minamoto's place to ask if anyone had seen him when Sakura cried out._

"_Hey look! There he is!" Before Mai could stop her, little Sakura was running across the street. Mai took off after her, but a car reached Sakura first, slamming into her. It didn't stop either, it just kept going. Mai cried out in horror as she watched the car go over her sister, the sickening screech of tires sounded as it rounded the corner._

_Mai ran over to Sakura to see if she was all right. From her assumptions, there were no broken bones, a few small cuts, one or two rapidly forming bruises but that was all. _

"_Onee-chan?"_

_Mai grabbed Sakura's hand in both of hers and held it against her chest, "I'm right here Sakura! I'm right here next to you! How do you feel?"_

"_I think I can stand…"_

"_No." Mai helped her sister onto her back. Edgar was still missing, but that dumb dog could wait. Sakura was all that mattered. "It's okay. I'll carry you to the Minamoto's. They'll- they'll call a doctor and you'll be all right." Mai was trying hard not to cry. She was trying, really she was. She carried Sakura as carefully as she could down the short trail through the woods to the Minamoto's. It had cut their travel time in half._

"_Every-everything's go-going to be al-all right." Mai choked on her words, tears threatening to fall in torrents. _

"_Onee-chan. Daisuki."_

"_Eh. I love you too Sakura. You're- you're my little sister, and my twin. Everything will be okay. The grown-ups will know what to do. When you're all taken care of, I'll-I'll find Edgar and- and when you're all better, we'll build a snow fort! That'll be fun, ne? Ne?"_

"_Mmm…" Sakura just held on to Mai. Mai saw the lights of the house ahead and saw that a few of the adults had stepped outside to smoke a cigarette. _

"_Tasukete! Please! Help me!" Mai called out at the top of her lungs. "Please help me!" She was losing her composure very quickly as Sakura's grip around her neck loosened. _

_The people that had stepped out side looked towards the voice and smoking was forgotten. The strange little black-clad girl was carrying her sister, and __**crying**_

_Something was very wrong. _

_Mai rode with Minamoto-san's husband, Ejiro, as he drove her to the hospital. Her mother had gone with Sakura in the ambulance. The snow falling outside the vehicle only made Mai even more nervous and anxious. All that white, she couldn't stand it! _

_Minamoto Ejiro pulled into the car park and as soon as it had Mai bolted out and ran into the hospital. Up the elevator and straight into the waiting room. The minutes seemed like hours. Finally the doctor came in._

"_I'm sorry. We did all we could. She was bleeding internally and both of her kidneys had been crushed. It's a wonder all her bones weren't broken." Mai's mother started crying. _

"_Liar." _

"_Huh?" That one word from Mai and every one looked at her. _

"_Liar. Sakura's not dead. She can't be. She just can't be. I- I promised her we'd build a snow fort. She-she loves to build snow forts. You're lying!" Mai grabbed the vase on the table next to her and threw it at the doctor. Then she darted around the doctor and into the room where her sister was. _

'_He's lying. Sakura's not dead. She's all right. She's- she's just sleeping. I'll-I'll go in there and she'll-she'll wake up and smile at me, like she always does. My sister is not dead!' She flung the door open, oblivious to the shouts of doctors and nurses. One thing was on her mind. But Sakura was not sleeping. Her chest was still. And Mai was broken. She ran. The cold wind stung her cheeks, but she didn't care. Sakura was gone. The world had lost all its color and meaning to Mai._

_

* * *

Mai jolted up right, startling those around her. Yuki walked over and put an arm around Mai, who just sat there unresponsive. Mai slowly began to cry. Large, crystal tears tainted with agony and grief. Yuki held Mai in a sisterly embrace as the teenager cried. All those tear that had been shed for the sake of others were now being shed for her. Her own pain, the pain she had ruthlessly shoved aside now dominated._

The others watched on. The pained sobs that came from their angel were too much to bear. That's what she was. To them and to many others she was their angel. It was true that she wasn't a radiantly beautiful woman but that would have just hindered her, wouldn't it? She had cared for all of them, when they needed some one to just hear their story.

She had cried with them, for them even. She had patched them up, physically and emotionally. Now she sat there, and they had no idea how to return the favour except for one person. Naru walked over to the couch and took Mai in his arms and shushed her gently as he whispered that every thing would be all right.

He understood. He had lost his twin, even living the experience through his brother's eyes. Mai slowly calmed, falling into a dreamless sleep while being comforted by some one that knew the feeling of losing half of your soul. For isn't that what a twin is? Is it not said, that twins are one soul split between two bodies? Losing half of your soul is a painful experience, and one that Mai and Naru both understood.


	13. Water games

Hey! This is for the more playful side of Lin that we don't get(but really want) to see. If anyone tells me that Yuki is becoming a Mary-sue, I will hurt them. Here's why, 1:Yuki is a side character, she doesn't get much screen time(or in this case fictime)2: So far, she's only been seen in situations that require happiness or empathy 3: Lastly, You tell me how to show you what she's like when she's alone without ditching the main cast, then maybe you'll learn more about her.

As always, Many thanks and cookies go to SSJ4 Sailor Menz for her wonderful skills as a beta. Please remember to leave her cookies and tea because without her, my storys would be back to what they were, which is NOT a good thing. (Lot's of grammer errors and things like that, we want to go _foward _not back!)

Flames will be used under controlled Lab conditions to practice Pyro abilities.

* * *

Not many people knew that Lin had a playful side to him. Heck, it was even hard for people to believe that such a stoic and serious man had the ability to smile, let alone laugh! There were times that even Madoka had to wonder about it. So it was no surprise that the SPR gang sat by the edge of the pool, staring at Lin and wondering if he had been possessed by the Devil himself.

_Flashback_

_It was early in the morning when Masako, a young yet famous psychic who was well known throughout Japan, walked into SPR with an invitation to join her on a holiday. _

"_My parents are going away for the summer and they were hoping that I would do a little traveling. They believe that I have been overworking myself and wish for me to take some time to relax. It just so happens that an uncle of mine owns a resort on an island near China. He has invited me to spend my vacation there and has also kindly allowed me to bring some friends should I wish to. I do believe __that __it would be __a good idea__ for us to __go and spend some time together.__" _

_While it had seemed that the invitation was aimed at the entire SPR group, no one had missed the look she had given Naru when she mentioned 'spend some time together'. _

_Despite that, Naru had almost vetoed the idea when Ma__do__k__a__ had showed up. Apparently, she had heard the whole thing and was quick to shove them all out the door, so that they could all get packed for two weeks of 'fun'. Even if Naru and Lin barely knew the meaning of the word. _

_The rest of the day was spent buying supplies and necessities for the trip, one of those being a swimsuit for Mai. During their shopping excursion, the whole gang decided that they had to take Yuki along. After all, she kept Naru in his place and made Lin relax some. Then it was on the plane and to the resort. Lin and Yuki had spent the entire plane ride talking, although Lin had to kiss Yuki as they were landing to distract her from the 'dropping' sensation. She didn't enjoy the landing much but she was disappointed when the kiss ended. It was already rather late when they arrived, so after dinner, they went to their rooms and spent the rest of the evening unpacking and settling in before turning in for the night. The next day, it was to the pool._

"_Ehhhhhh?! This pool is huge!!" Mai exclaimed. The pool was indeed, huge. An Olympic size pool with not only a spring diving board but a diving platform as well. Other pool furniture, such as sun-loungers, tables, chairs and parasols, where placed around the pool (not too close but not too far either) for those who wanted to sunbathe or just simply relax. _

_They split up and changed into their swimsuits quickly. Masako wore a lavender one-piece that had a simple yet charming flower design on the side. Ayako wore a crimson red halter- top bikini, which, needless to say, pleased Takigawa very much. Mai wore a navy blue one-piece that had red swirls all over it while Yuki wore her trademark black one-piece, making the others wonder exactly why she liked black so much (Mai knew the reason but why ruin Yuki's mystery?). As for the guys, Naru wore black swim trunks, Lin wore dark green swim trunks, John had red ones and Takigawa wore orange. Shortly there after, Lin and Yuki got into a conversation with a group of couples and that was how it all began._

_End Flashback_

Now Yuki was perched on Lin's shoulders, trying to knock the other women off their boyfriends' shoulders. It was a game of Chicken! In four different languages! There were exclamations in English, French, Japanese, and Chinese. The laughter was ceaseless as the women pushed at one another. Lin would laugh as Yuki knocked the other women down from their perches and soon they were the only couple left out of the group of ten couples that had played. Lin laughed as Yuki put her hands together and shook them in victory.

Sitting on the poolside, was the rest of the gang, gaping in awe at the spectacle in front of them. Who knew Lin could have fun? Even Naru was blinking in surprise, stunned by Lin's behavior. Yuki stood up on Lin's shoulders and jumped into the pool, splashing everyone. A drenched Mai glared at the smug Yuki who was now lazily floating in the water.

This meant _war_!

Quickly standing up, Mai gracefully dived into the water and performed a sneak attack on the unsuspecting Yuki by surfacing right behind her and proceeding to splash a load of water on her. Sputtering, Yuki quickly righted and turned around to face her laughing attacker with narrowed eyes. It was no surprise that she retaliated and soon the two of them gotten into a water war. At first, Naru had been quite amused by this but quickly became bored and tried to stop it, only to get dragged into it when Mai practically drowned him in a spray of water. Lin joined to protect Yuki while John and Yasuhara joined after much persuading by Mai, who was suddenly dragged under by Naru, whom she then tried to drown by dunking him. Ayako and Takigawa got into it to save little Mai-chan from being thrown into the pool by Naru, who was struggling to get her out of the pool so he could toss her back in. As for Lin and Yuki, they had snuck off to the other side of the pool, and weren't seen again until after lunch. Apparently, they had gone shopping, which was another thing that floored them as Lin was carrying some of Yuki's bags.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, although Ayako and Takigawa had a brief argument over whether or not to buy a painting for their apartment.

Their apartment?!

Yes, it was finally official. They were moving in together. Takigawa later confided in Mai that he was actually trying to figure out when to ask Ayako to marry him. She had promised to ask Ayako what type of proposal she would want, without giving his secret away, then relay the info. onto him. Yuki and Lin had remained silent for most of the day after the games at the pool, though Yuki did bust Naru a couple of times for being a jerk. Mai watched as her best friend and Lin cuddled on the couch, thinking everyone else had fallen asleep, unaware that everyone was just watching them. She smiled as Yuki's smile, which had become a tad harder to bring out, broke out across her face as Lin whispered something in her ear.

"Mai! I know you're not sleeping! The same thing goes for the rest of you! Go to bed all of you!" Yuki's voice went from singsong to firm in a matter of seconds, making everyone to scatter to their designated rooms and causing Lin to chuckle slightly in amusement. After walking her to her room, he kissed her gently on the neck and swatted her playfully before they separated and he went to his own room. She gave him a 'glare' that wasn't threatening in the least because of the laughter and mirth that were dancing in her eyes.

* * *

"So why does she bring out the best of you, Lin-san?" Yasuhara asked, as the somewhat intimidating Chinese man slid with cat like grace into his bed. 

"She just does. She has so much life and vibrance and yet she can be the most serious person in the world if need be. Maybe that's why she brings out the best in those who care about her and in the ones that she cares about in return." Lin turned off the lights, effectively ending the discussion. With the room plunged into darkness, Lin closed his eyes hoping to sleep soon while eagerly waiting for the sun to rise the next day.

* * *

Ideas are wlcomed and reviews are essential! PsychicOtaku182

P.s. For those of you who don't know, the version of Chiken mentioned in the story is a water game played between couples. The girls get on the guys' shoulders and then push at one another. Once knocked in, you are out of the game, the last couple in the water, wins!


	14. Worried What for?

Okay, here's an answer to all the requests for a NaruxMai one. I'm writing my next one right now. Any suggestions, I would be grateful for the help.

* * *

Noll watched Mai as she lay sleeping on the couch at their current base. He had no idea why, but he always got a little nervous when she was having one of _those_ dreams. Her breathing would become very shallow and her heart rate would speed up, her pulse becoming weaker as her heart beat faster. He had talked to his father about it. Not because he was worried that she would never wake up, but just for reference. 

'_Yeah right, Noll. Keep telling yourself that. Just keep telling yourself that you're not frightened by the thought of her never waking up, that she loves me and that you don't feel anything for her, except friendship. Maybe you'll actually believe it'_. An image of

Gene smirking at his 'Idiot scientist' of a brother popped into Noll's head. He growled as he turned to the mirror to see his older twin's laughing eyes, a smirk lifting the corners of his mouth.

'**And you were asked for your opinion by whom? Anyway, what makes you think Mai doesn't love you, huh genius? If I really am an idiot, which I'm not, then why don't you educate me?' **In contrast to his brother's smirk, Naru scowled. It was a scowl worthy enough to receive praise from Hades himself and that was saying something.

'_You know I can't do that. I promised mom that I'd let you make your own mistakes. If you lose Mai because she's sick of waiting, then that's your problem, not mine. Not that you'll really lose her, she'll just leave. If you were to go after her, she'd come back to you in a heartbeat. Here's a word of advice though. Try to remember not to shoot off your mouth and inadvertently hurt her. I don't particularly like showing up in her dreams and seeing that she wants to cry, or that she was crying before she joined me for a trip to gather info.' _

'**You can tell if she was crying? Or if she wants to cry?'**

'_It's not that hard Noll. So please, try to be a little more understanding. If you don't make an effort, I'll have to do something drastic. Like, oh, I don't know, let Mai go missing? Poor Mai, she'd be alone. I wouldn't be there with her. You'd be out there looking for her-'_

'**You wouldn't dare hurt Mai!'**

'_If you don't care about Mai, then why are you clutching the arm of your chair so hard that your knuckles have turned white? You're right. I wouldn't hurt Mai but that doesn't mean that I'd tell you where she was. If you'll excuse me, I have to go help Mai out of a messy dream. I let it run its course, now it's time to help her understand a little more of it.' _

Gene was gone from the mirror before Noll had a chance to do or say any thing. Gene was right though. He currently had a death grip on the arms of the chair that he was sitting on. He looked back over at Mai. She twitched slightly in her sleep. Her lips moved ever so slightly, and Noll knew he heard her voice; it was soft but calm. When he stood up to make his way over to her, Naru was somewhat surprised that the arms on the metal chair he'd been sitting on didn't have finger shaped indentations. He certainly thought that he'd been strangling the life out of it. Still, pushing thoughts of the chair to one side, he gazed upon the Mai's still figure. She had always looked like an angel when sleeping. Even Lin had taken to referring to her as 'Angel' when trying to keep a secret about Mai from Mai. 'Angel's birthday party is to be held here' meant that the gang had planned a party for Mai. It had been Yasuhara's job to make sure Mai was there and she remained in the dark about it. Small children would often tug on Naru's or Lin's coat and ask them where the pretty angel came from when they where on a case. The others would laugh until they were the ones at the other end of those big, innocent eyes. Naru felt a smile, a real smile, tug at the corners of his mouth as he thought about Mai's reaction to the children's questions.

'_**Well, if I'm an angel, God didn't want me to know. As far as I know, I'm a human just like you but who really knows? Maybe we're both angels and we just don't know it.'**_

The children always had fun with the thought that maybe God had chosen them out of the angels, made them human for their stay here, and sent them to help others. Others who would recognize that they were angels, even if they themselves did not.

'Naru?'

Naru looked at Mai, only to find that she was still sleeping. Probably talking to Gene. Noll hoped for some reason that his stupid brother wasn't running his mouth off. Gene told Naru that Mai's dreams would last a little longer, because there was more to explain. Noll bent down to check her breathing, just in case.

His lips brushed hers.

He quickly pulled back and it was as if nothing had ever happened. He hadn't actually kissed her. So what if his lips touched her's. They barely made any contact.

Mai was a little confused when she felt something brush just barely against her lips while she was talking to Gene. Whatever had touched her had been lighter than a feather and moved very fast. It had also been warm.

Gene's smirk reappeared for a split second before being replaced by his normal smile. He would finish explaining the things in her dream and then send Mai back to the waking world.

After all, Naru may be stubborn but who could resist an angel?


	15. Her Scrapbook

Okay, so after some propting by Sailor, I finally wrote a little about Yuki. She's not perfect.

Flames will be used to further pyroabilities.

And again, thank you SSJ4 Sailor Menz

* * *

Taniyama Mai had been going through her closet for spring-cleaning when she found her old scrapbook. The very back had the first few pictures she'd ever taken of the SPR gang, but for the most part, it was of her life before she met Naru and the rest. Memories came flooding back to her. Memories that included a troubled girl, eight years older than Mai, named Tara Smith. Mainly known to everyone as Yuki.

Flashback… 

"Okaasan, why are we taking in the daughter of the man that ran over Sakura? Why do we have to be nice to her?" An angry eight-year-old Mai was questioning why her mother decided that they were going to take care of that man's daughter.

"_She's his stepdaughter and it's not like she had anything to do with Sakura's death. She was at home, reading a book. Her stepfather told her that he was going on a drive. I want you to be nice to her. Her mother isn't here and she's been living in the care of the government for a year now. Think about how you would feel if you knew that someone had died due to a family member's carelessness and that you had to become a ward of the government."_

"_Fine. I'll be polite but don't expect me to become friends with her." Mai's mother just sighed and rolled her eyes at her daughter._

_End Flashback…_

Mai cringed at the thought of that meeting. The sixteen-year-old girl was different than anyone Mai had ever met before. Yuki was 5'3" tall, had short brown hair, cut in an almost boyish fashion, well dressed (for a funeral, at any rate), and very quiet. She never stopped reading, except to eat, get cleaned up, or sleep. She was as pale as snow, and was just as cold. Mai, the angry little girl that she had been, was less than pleased to have this girl living on the same street, much less in the same house.

That was then.

Yuki had only been living with them for six months before Mai realized that she hardly ever slept. She ate very little, causing Mai's mother to worry about her nutrition. Hatori noticed that she often over-exerted herself when doing any type of physical activity. It was then Mai realized that Yuki didn't care about herself.

Flashback… 

"_Smith-san." Mai walked carefully into the dark room that Yuki stayed in. Maybe she was asleep. _

"_Hai?" _

'_There goes her being asleep.' Mai thought grimly. _

"_Kaa-san would like to know if you want to go to the store with her. To pick up some things like clothes and stuff."_

"_Iie."_

"_Are you sure? I mean, you do need some of those things, don't you? You only had a sma-"_

"_I'm not worth it."_

"_Eh? Worth what? Basic necessities? Everyone is worth that much."_

"…"

"_Do you want to come?"_

"_Iie." _

"_But-"_

"_I said I'm not worth it. I'm fine."_

"_Okay. Whatever you say."_

_End Flashback…_

Mai had known something was wrong. Her mother had been very careful not to let Yuki around the knives, in fear that she'd hurt herself. Hatori would often watch her eat, making her feel like leaving one bit on her plate was wrong. Still, you can't force a person to care about herself. Yuki continued to not sleep, which led to a lot of problems.

Yuki became ill and doctors couldn't get her to hold still and take any sleeping medication. They tried everything. Nothing worked. Finally, Mai became fed up with it.

_Flashback…_

_"Boy, some role model you are."_

_"What?" _

_"You heard me. What if some one were to admire you? Being humble is one thing, being an insomniac is another. You're in a bit of a situation here. You have a choice. You can continue to hurt my mother and brother with your self-worth issues, or you can decide, that for the greater good, to put that brain of yours to work. That means that you'd had better start taking care of yourself. We're your family, so you don't need to worry about that sort of stuff. Your job, as of now, is to be my older sister, Hatori's younger sister and Mom's oldest daughter. Got that?"_

"_Um…I guess."_

"_Good! Now, you take that sleeping pill, get a good nights rest and get better so you can come home! Okay?" Mai was on the borderline of tears because, in all honesty, she wanted an older sister and that was what Yuki was supposed to be._

"_Shhh." Yuki carefully pulled Mai up, and handed her a handkerchief. "Calm down. I guess I have no choice, do I?"_

"_No, you don't" Mai sniffled. _

_End Flashback…_

Mai smiled. Okay, so she'd been stubborn. She could have just let Yuki die. The others probably wouldn't believe that had happened or that Yuki still had issues with self-worth. Lin-san knew and Mai knew that with every day their relationship lasted, Yuki became more confident. So maybe Mai had to let Yuki cry on her shoulder. At least she was still alive. Mai put the scrapbook back in the closet and walked out of her apartment. She knocked on the door to the apartment next door and was greeted by Yuki and her black cat, Bastet.

"Hey! Let's go out and have lunch! Please?" Yuki sighed as Mai gave her the puppy dog eyes.

"Whatever"

"Yay!"

So Yuki wasn't perfect. Who was? She was still Mai's older 'sister'. That meant that she _**had**_ to stay healthy. Who else would worry over Mai? Yuki shook her head.

'Certainly can't leave that job to her boss, Naru, that's for sure. At least, not yet.'

**_Not yet…_**


	16. Surprises, MonkxMiko

Hi! Awhile back I put out a request for ideas and The Jenx gave me this one. I don't think it turned out as good as it could have, but that's my fault. Thanks again to Beta SSJ4 Sailor Menz! Enjoy!

* * *

Takigawa Housho sat next to Ayako, holding her hand as he waited for the train to come to a stop. The two of them were on their way to Shibuya Psychic Research, mainly to check in on Mai but also to give everyone a surprise. Takigawa chuckled softly as he remembered Mai's reaction to why they hadn't told everyone about it. He squeezed Ayako's hand. It was hard for the three conspirators to believe that the all powerful "NARU-CHAN" still hadn't noticed anything. They figured that it would be prime teasing material to use against them if he had. However, now they had something to tease him about.

A little while later, the two of them found themselves in front of the door to the office. Going in, they found that the others had not all arrived yet.

"Oi, Jou-chan. Where are Naru-bou and Lin-san?"

"Lin-san is in the research room and Naru got a call from Madoka telling him to come pick her up from the airport." The brunette said as she headed towards the kitchenette to make the ex-Monk a cup of iced coffee.

"Mori-san is here too?" His eyebrows shot up.

"You had better not let her hear you calling her Mori-san. Yeah, that's why I said we should do this today. That way, we don't have to call and tell her." Ayako went to help the girl make the tea. "I picked up a few snacks earlier, because if I hadn't there would never be any food in this office. Would you two like some?"

"No thanks."

"Okay."

Mai came out with a cup of iced coffee for Takigawa, a cup of peppermint tea for Ayako and a glass of cola for herself. Not to mention a box of almond and chocolate pocky.

"Mai, tea! If I've told you all once then I've told you a thousand times that my office is not a country club!"

"Noll! Honestly, you're such a child at times! Would it kill you to say 'please'?!"

"Do they ever stop that?" Ayako asked, her eyes following Naru and his teacher as they walked to his private office, Madoka scolding him the entire time.

"Sometimes." Mai knocked on the door to the research room. Lin opened the door immediately. "Ah, Lin-san. Would you like some tea? Madoka is in Naru's office and from the sounds of things, it may be best to stay out of the way. It sounds like she's on a rampage."

"Tea sounds wonderful and I wouldn't enter that office right now even if you paid me to." With that, Lin turned and went back into the seclusion of the room behind him. Mai quickly poured three cups of tea for Naru, Madoka, and Lin and then hurried to deliver them. As she was doing this, John and Masako came in, followed shortly thereafter by Yasuhara, who had just finished up his classes for the day.

"Ah, Taniyama-san. Is that tea I smell? May I trouble you for a glass, preferably iced, That is, if you don't mind." Yasuhara asked Mai in an almost singsong manner.

"Of course not. John, Masako, do either of you want something as well?" After making sure everyone had their drinks, Mai sat down as Ayako and Takigawa rounded up the last three people in the office.

Everyone sat there, in the lobby, drinking their drinks as Takigawa threw one arm gently over Ayako's shoulders.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Ayako and I have an announcement to make. First things first though, Naru, you failed. You obviously do not pay any attention to us, or Mai, whatsoever. Now-" He is elbowed by Ayako.

"Just get on with it all ready!" She hissed at him, surprisingly absent of its usual venom.

"I am! Anyway, Ayako and I have been _**married **_for the last six months and not even our dear Naru-chan figured it out. The only person here that knew was Mai and that was because she acted as one of the witnesses to the wedding."

At the word, '**married**', Masako's kimono sleeve was raised to hide her gaping mouth, Naru's eyebrow raised in annoyance as Madoka squealed in delight. Lin nearly spit out his tea across the room, Yasuhara couldn't stop laughing and John's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Mai, unlike the others, had known all along. She was happy for her friends.

"Okay, hold on a minute people. We have one more announcement to make." Takigawa held his hands up to hush the talking.

"I get to tell them this one." Ayako said, looking at her husband.

"Alright, go ahead." Takigawa did a mock bow as she stepped forward, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Everyone, I wanted you to know that I'm pregnant!" Suffice it to say, Mai fell out of her seat. She hadn't seen that one coming!

Once again the office erupted into a roar of exclamations and squeals.

Later…

"How long do you think it would have taken them to figure it out?" Ayako asked.

"Well, considering that you're one of those people who really don't show when they're pregnant, maybe not till after the baby was born."

"Maybe. Ne, Housho-kun?"

"Hai, koi?"

"If it's a girl, can we name her Mai? And if it's a boy, can we name him Kazuya?"

"Sure. Mai, after little Mai-chan, and Kazuya after the name Naru gave us when we first met him. Sounds good to me." He said, smiling as he led his wife to the train station.

"Good! I like it."

What if they have fraternal twins? Takigawa Mai and Takigawa Kazuya?

_A sign of things to come, perhaps?_


	17. Ice Skating in December

The request for this one was actually placed under 'Holidays' but I felt that it would fit better in 'Emotions'. Wink987 suggested this one-shot, so many thanks for the idea. Thanks to SSJ4 Sailor Menz for betaing!

* * *

Wvish! Naru watched, amazed, as Mai landed the jump. What had she called it? A sow cow? He had never had an interest in ice-skating, but was quite impressed, secretly that is, at his assistant's skill.

"Naru, are you sure you don't want me to teach you how to skate? I promise I won't try to teach you any jumps or anything like that!" Mai called to her young boss, who had no idea how to skate.

Flashback…

"Oi! Jou-chan, let's go sledding!" Takigawa had cheerfully burst into the office just as Mai was about to take her lunch break, allowing the cold December air into the warm office.

"Sorry Bou-san, but I'm going to eat, then work, and then, cause I'm off early today, I'm going to go ice skating." Mai stated, smoothing invisible wrinkles off her skirt.

"Ice skating? Hey, how about we all go?! Naru-bou and Lin-san too!" Apparently, the monk had a death wish. (Naru hated being dragged along to things like ice skating with a passion and Lin had already threatened to tie, gag, and stuff the monk in a trunk if he bothered him while working, which was pretty much all the time.).

"Uh…" Mai pictured finding the Monk in a trunk about a week later. "Is that really a smart idea?"

"Is what a smart idea?" Lin's deep baritone voice startled the teen as it came from behind her. When had he left his office?

"Mai's going ice skating later and I thought that we could all go with!" Takigawa exclaimed, only to receive a sharp thwack from Ayako, who had entered the office shortly before Lin-san appeared.

"Old man! You aren't just going so that you can see Mai twirl around in a leotard and short skirt, are you?"

'_Leotard and short skirt? Is she insane? She already has a few would-be-suitors. Would-be-suitors, ha!_' Naru growled unnoticeably at his subconscious rant.

"Ahhhh! Mai-chan you look so cute!" Madoka squealed at the sight of the petit girl.

Indeed, Mai did look cute. Her outfit was simple; a purple paisley patterned skirt that stopped just below her knees, a low slung gold link belt, black leggings, purple wine colored knit turtleneck sweater, and black Mary-Jane style shoes. Her hair was done in a side part, with some of it covering her right eye, like a thin brown curtain. Mai blushed slightly at the unexpected compliment.

"Thank you, Madoka-san. Ayako, I don't skate in a leotard and short skirt." Mai said calmly.

"Oh?" Ayako's tone said what her words did not. 'What do you wear then?'

"I wear dance pants and a long-sleeved tee-shirt. That's it. No skirt, no leotard. I don't feel comfortable doing jumps in those things." Mai shook her finger as she said no skirts. "If you all want to come with, I'll be headed straight to the rink after work."

"Yeah! I'll call the others, we'll all go! Right, Naru-bou, Lin-san?" If any one missed the sly hint in Bou-san's voice, they must have been deaf.

Naru sighed, as his mentor all but demanded that they all go. All he wanted to do was work some more on his newest book…

Fast forward, 3:00 p.m.

"Hello, Toshio-san!" Mai greeted the man behind the skate rental counter cheerfully.

"Why hello, Taniyama-chan! How are you?" The man smiled back at her.

"Good, and you?"

"Fine. Size seven, right?"

"Yes, as well as a 6 ½, an 8, two 7 ½'s, a 10, three 9s, and an 11, please." The man, around forty-five years of age, smiled as he walked off to get the requested sizes.

"Here you go."

"Thank you!" Mai waved back at him as they walked off.

"Enjoy yourselves."

"We will."

_**We**_ didn't, because despite innate grace when walking, Naru did not know how to skate and quickly fell onto his butt. Mai chose that exact moment to come out of the changing area and burst into a fit of giggles, Naru's glare only causing her more amusement.

'_She's cute when she laughs_.' Naru quickly beat his inner thoughts to death. Mai was wearing a pair of tight fitting black dance pants and a mint green long sleeved tee-shirt that said 'Angel' in gold letters across the front. Her hair had been re-brushed and pulled into a ponytail. After tying her skates, Mai stepped confidently out onto the ice and skated effortlessly over to the disgruntled black-clad teen.

"Here, give me your hand." Mai offered her hand out to Naru.

"I'm fine." Naru stood up, and barely made it to the wall before losing his footing. In a gallant (but futile) attempt to maintain his pride, Naru 'skated' off the ice-rink and walked to a bench. "I'll stay here and read. There's really no point in ice-skating." Mai had merely shrugged and skated off, performing an odd jump or turn here and there.

End flashback…

"Naru?"

"No." Mai pouted slightly at his answer, and continued to skate circles around the others.

'_Not that Lin and Yuki care'_, Naru noted, watching the two skate quite well together. Naru leaned forward slightly when he noticed Mai talking to a young man who looked to be foreign. Mai seemed to be quite charmed by him, much to Naru's distaste.

'_Who is this fop_?' The 'Fop' as Naru dubbed him, offered Mai his hand, which she took.

'_What is he planning?_' The Fop led Mai into the center of the ice as Vivaldi's Winter, from the 'Four Seasons' came on. The two of them took their places as every one cleared off of the rink. The music picked up and the two began to skate, not separately but as a couple, causing Naru's inner self to see red.

"Uwaaah! Jou-chan's really good at this!" Bou-san exclaimed as Mai landed a Lutz just after her skating partner, who Naru learned from the others was named Boyd. They made an excellent pair, in looks and skill. Mai's brown hair and brown eyes contrasting with Boyd's light blonde hair and sea green eyes, pale skin being the only similar feature the two shared. The song ended and the others skated back onto the ice, causing Mai to blush as she was bombarded by words of praise. Boyd held his hand out, asking if she'd like to skate with him again.

"Mai." Mai's head snapped over to the benches when she heard her name being called. Naru was beckoning her over. She skated over to him with perfect grace.

"Yes, Naru?" She said, tilting her head to the side in the curious expression he'd come to love. Naru said nothing as he stood up and left the bench, holding his hand out to her as he stepped onto the ice. Mai's smile lit up the world as she began the first lesson. He smiled to himself as she taught him how to skate, falling down onto the ice with him a few times. Boyd had stalked off after realizing that Mai had no intention of leaving her 'pupil' to skate with him some more. Naru's smirk had widened as Mai made a face at the disgruntled man's back and muttered under her breathe, "Fop".

They continued to skate until 8 p.m. when the rink began to close. Naru had fallen so many times that he doubted he'd live it down but he didn't really care. Every time he had fallen, Mai had been right there with him, sitting next to, or partially on top of him, laughing, blushing, and helping him get back up and skate again.

Naru had taken the job of taking Mai home, even though Lin was escorting Yuki back and could easily drop Mai off as well.

"Goodnight Naru."

"Goodnight Mai." Mai stood on tiptoes and kissed Naru lightly on his cheek, blushed a brilliant red, and quickly closed the door, no doubt turning a darker shade of red as she continued to think about what just happened. Naru joined Lin in the elevator, ignoring the older man's knowing smirk, as he touched the place where Mai's lips had caressed. Maybe ice-skating wasn't so bad after all.

_Once upon a December…_

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In case you're wondering, I figured Mai would have stopped competing (if she ever competed to begin with) after her mom died. Anyway, please review. Suggestions are always welcomed on any of my storys, flames are used to further Pyro abilities in a controled lab. See you next time. 


	18. Imitating a Fop!

Hey! PsychicOtaku here! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Many thanks to SSJ4Sailormenz for wonderful Beta work! If you have any suggestions, please, let me know.

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If there was one thing that Mai didn't want any of her friends to know, it would have to be her long time obsession with the broadway production of 'Phantom of the Opera' and her deep dislike of Raoul, better known as "That Sissy Fop!" 

Unfortunately for Mai, the things we want to keep hidden the most are the things that tend to come out in the most embarrassing ways.

It was a little known fact that Mai volunteered at a local orphanage on saturdays, often staying there until the next day, especially with Halloween coming up along with the children's open house.

As Halloween fell on the same day as the open house, it had been the suggestion of a few of the volunteers to have a Halloween themed open house, which meant a lot more work and a better understanding of western Halloween celebrations.

As Mai had limited knowledge of what made Halloween, well…Halloween, this meant that she would need to ask the 'experts'. Enter the always helpful Yuki, compulsive tea-drinking egomaniac Naru, stoic and intimidating Lin and the timid Catholic John.

"Um, guys? Could you help me out some?" Mai asked somewhat timidly.

"What is it Mai?" Yuki asked as she swiveled around in her chair.

"You know that I volunteer at the orphanage down the road from school, right? Well, they're doing a Halloween themed open house. The only problem is that none of us know much about the western customs concerning Halloween, so…"

"You want us to tell you about what Halloween is like where we come from, correct?" Naru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, if you don't mind, that is. It's really important to these kids. Most of the adoptions take place right after these open houses and even if they don't get adopted, they still get to have fun because it's always something of a party." Mai bit her lip, wondering if she should go on.

"I can ask my mom to send some old Halloween craft books if you'd like. You obviously don't want to scare any one." John, it seemed, would be the most helpful.

"Really? That would be wonderful. As it is, Yuki has some stuff we can use. Halloween seems to be a big thing for her. Anyway, we're already working on Jack-o-lanterns, we have to have some form of entertainment, something for the arts-and-crafts table and maybe a few games. Oh! You're all more than welcome to join us. There's no pressure but I think the kids would like all of you." She looked at Naru.

"Well, most of you at least." Her last statement sent Bou-san into a fit of snickers.

"I'd like to come. In fact, I'd like to help if there's anything that I can do." John smiled.

"There's always something you could do to help!"

What an interesting time this would be!

The weeks went by at a steady pace until soon it was the day before the open house. Every one from the office, even Naru and Lin, were there to help out. Mai was in the kitchen, working on chocolate chip cookies. When she was working in the kitchen, Mai often liked to listen to music and right now she was listening to 'The Phantom of the Opera' soundtrack. She sang as she twirled around on the balls of her feet, completely oblivious to the looks that she was getting.

She hadn't known that the others had finished with what they were doing and had come to see if they could help with anything else. It had become even more entertaining to them when Mai began to parody Raoul complaining about the weather messing up his hair. As Mai gave a spirited imitation of someone flipping their hair, she came face to face with her co-workers, turned a brilliant shade of crimson, squeaked in mortification and turned back around. Her reaction was even funnier than the imitation of Raoul, making it impossible for the others to hold in their laughter.

"Wow, Jou-chan! I didn't know that you could sing!" Bou-san ruffled her hair in an affectionate manner.

"I don't! No! No! That was just, uh, um…the orphanage ghost? Yeah that's right!" Mai's red face had now turned into a full body blush, "I was just lip-syncing! I don't sing!"

"Right, whatever you say Mai. Anyway, what else can we do?" Bou-san laughed at Mai's excuse, causing her to turn an even darker shade of red.

"I don't know. I would say that you could set up the stage, but we don't have any live entertainment, just music. Oh! That's it! We need to set up some lights, you know, special effect lights and fog machines!"

"No bubble machines?" Bou-san teased.

"No. Why would we want one of those at a Halloween party?" Mai asked, perplexed.

"Don't worry about it."

After the Party…

The party had gone off without any problems. The children had already gone back to the orphanage, while Mai and the others volunteered to clean up the gym.

"Hey Mai!" Bou-san called

"Hai?"

"Sing something for us, will you?" He asked.

"Like?"

"I don't know. Something from the Phantom of the Opera."

Naru smirked at the sight of Mai's blush.

"Um, okay." Mai squeaked.

_Think of me,  
Think of me fondly  
When we've said goodbye  
Remember me once in awhile.  
Please promise me you'll try._

_When you'll find that once again you long to take your heart back and be free  
If you ever find a moment  
Spare a thought for me!  
We never said our love was evergreen  
Or as unchanging as the sea  
But if you can still remember stop and think of me!_

_Think of all the things we've shared and seen  
Don't think about the way things might have been_

_Think of me  
Think of me waking silent and resigned.  
Imagine me trying too hard to put you from my mind.  
Recall those days  
look back on all those times.  
Think of the things we'll never do.  
There will never be a day when I won't think of you_

_Flowers fade  
The fruits of summer fade  
They have their season  
So do we.  
But please promise me that sometimes  
You will think of me!_"

The group clapped as Mai took a bow, though the clapping soon turned to laughter as Mai declared, "At least no one sang the part of that sissy fop!"

* * *

For those who may be wondering, I don't like Raoul! 


	19. Strange things are happening!

Hello! I come with a one shot! arianataniyama on LJ requested this one a loooooong time ago (I wonder if she even remembers it?). Thanks to Sailor Menz for betaing! Please review!

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Lin wasn't sure what exactly was happening and neither did his co-worker, Taniyama Mai. However, it seemed that it had, in fact, happened at some point after they came back from England. For the past few months Mai had been having strange things happen and the only logical explanation was far from logical. These strange occurrences were not dangerous, far from it, but that didn't stop them from being unsettling. Now was an excellent example.

A few months before, Mai and Lin had both been in the kitchen with her making tea and Lin helping by putting the canister back on the top shelf. It was then that Mai had mentioned a book that she had been wanting to read, but couldn't find. The book, she said, was a Japanese translation of the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe. A morbid book for someone so cheerful, Lin mused, but who was he to judge?

When he entered the office today, he did so without the familiar feel of his Shiki around. Lin chose to think nothing of it. Although they were his, they had quite a bit of freedom to float around, provided that they came when he called. However, it was whenever Mai arrived at work that things had started becoming weird.

_**Flashback…**_

"Konnichiwa!" Mai's cheerful voice rang through the office as she bounced into the office, her short brown hair swishing left and right.

"Mai, tea!" the cold reply was all she got from her narcissistic boss, as she hung her light windbreaker on the coat hook.

"Hai! Lin-san, would you like some tea as well?"

"No, thank you." Lin was surprised by all five of his Shiki's restless behavior. They began to dart around the room, before going out into the main office area.

"Here's your tea, Naru." The office door had opened to reveal Mai carrying the usual tea set. Mai quickly entered and placed the tea on his desk before walking back out. He heard the door close, followed by Mai's footsteps as she went into the kitchenette to put the tray away. The sound and direction of her footsteps implied that she was making her way back to her desk.

Then…

"Ehhhhh?!!"

_**End Flashback…**_

A copy of "The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe" had been wrapped in a silvery blue colored paper, a color that Lin knew Mai was quite fond of as she had added little things of the color all around the office. It was a simple, leather bound book, maroon in color and rather thick.

"Taniyama-san, did you tell any one else that you had been wanting this book?" Lin hoped fervently that she would say yes, but alas, she had not.

"I don't get it! I only told you, Lin-san! It's only sold at one store in Tokyo, and it's a special order item, which means that it would have had to be ordered almost two months ago, at the absolute least!" Mai stared numbly at the personalization on the inside cover.

It was written in a dark green color ink and said in perfect calligraphy,

'_For the Angel who loves all, both those here and gone.'_

Lin had to admit, whoever had this personalized knew Mai very well. Many people had called her an angel. It was in fact, her nickname. He knew Mai well enough to know she hadn't sent it to herself and he knew Naru wouldn't have even put in the effort to think about doing something like this. Although, if he had been the one responsible, Lin thought idly, maybe the endearing inscription wouldn't bother the man as much.

Naru had been sulking for the past hour after the book was found, coming out only to order another cup of tea. Mai had called the bookstore to see whom it was from but they didn't know. It was an anonymous request, they said. Someone sent in an envelope with the money for the book and the request for it to be personalized. As soon as it was ready, earlier that day in fact, the book had been picked up by a vacant looking boy who said he was picking it up for his uncle. They called the number the boy had given them and the uncle said yes he had ordered the book and to please give it to his nephew. The boy left with the book and that was the end of it.

And this was not the first time something like this had happened. The vacant looking boy had picked up other things for his uncle that found their way to Mai. There was a small 10k gold ring set with a small, oval cut peridot, a CD by Mai's favorite artist Wang Rong, a box of her favorite chocolates, a coat that Mai had seen and really liked, several vases of flowers most of which were icy blue like the paper the book was wrapped in, a silver heart-shaped locket with a dove-shaped engraving and even a small female Australian Bombay cat! Mai had named the cat Houdini because she had just appeared from nowhere. Everything had.

Lin and Naru both had taken to coming out of their offices frequently to see if anything was on Mai's desk, or under it, sometimes even sitting out there to do there work. Mai would come in to find one or both of them sitting on the couches sometimes and would go to get some tea. They would watch her go in, turn back to their work, then turn to look up again when they heard her muttering about the tea canister being up so high (As she did every day when reaching to get the tea) and there, perched on her desk, would be a box or a vase that had not been there before, and that Mai most definitely had not brought in.

It had gotten to the point where Lin was beginning to consider sending his Shiki to guard Mai. He wouldn't miss their presence, unless he needed them. When they weren't on a case, his Shiki pretty much did their own thing and he knew Mai wouldn't mind as long as they weren't in her bathroom or hovering over her as she slept. Mai had been rather interested when she found out about his Shiki, and Lin had to wonder if Mai might be able to have Shiki of her own. After all, she _**really**_ needed that protection. Still, sending his Shiki seemed a bit much. After all, it all seemed harmless…

_**The next day…**_

"Konnichiwa!" Lin looked up from his seat on the couch as Mai began hanging her windbreaker up. "Ne, Lin-san?"

"Yes?" something was wrong. Lin knew it from the fact that she was tugging on her hair and shuffling her feet.

"Um, well, you see, I, uh, sorta seem to have a, um, shall we say, house guest? And uh, well, they are, um, not exactly alive. Ehehehehehe!" Mai let out a nervous laugh as Naru excited the kitchenette.

"Mai."

"Yes, Naru?" she asked, eyeing her boss warily as he stood examining her from the door of the kitchenette.

"This 'guest' has only been apparent since say, this morning? Correct?" Naru looked slightly, _slightly_, worried that his assistant may have been living in a haunted house for a while.

"I would have told you sooner if it hadn't." Mai's huffy response showed she was not liking the fact that Naru would think she was _**that **_stupid.

"Taniyama-san, what exactly happened?" Lin intervened before Mai could slap her egocentric boss.

"Well, uh, today started off normal, up at 5am and went to make breakfast. Only breakfast was already made. Um, went for a short run though the park near my building, went back up, entered my room to grab my uniform, it was laid out on my bed and I know that it wasn't when I left the house. Then I went to grab a shower after spending ten minutes stalking through my house with a metal base ball bat and opening every door in my apartment. Grabbed my bag, which, um, sorta floated over to me and then left my apartment as fast as my vertically challenged self could move. So, yeah. Great way to start the day, huh?" Mai looked slightly upset that she was now living in a haunted apartment, especially given her talent (or curse) for having to deal with problem spirits.

_**Later…**_

After calling Ayako and Takigawa, both of whom nearly jumped though the phone to come help Mai, the group headed over to Mai's apartment building. It was a nice building near the park, about fifteen stories tall with balconies attached to each apartment above ground level. Mai lived on the thirteenth floor in apartment 13M and when he entered the house, Lin was struck by how out of place a ghost would seem here. The walls were a light tan color reminding Lin of a villa he had seen in the wine country of Italy, the sofa was burgundy, while two chairs where a burnished gold color. The coffee table and side tables all had an antique finish with all of them sitting on a dark green rug. From right to left on the back wall was a bookcase, a low cabinet upon which sat an inexpensive TV with no cable connection, another bookcase that had several small figurines and pictures on it rather than books and a small, circular dining table with four chairs. On the table sat a laptop computer, an inexpensive, older model, as well as several neat stacks of paper, which apparently was bad.

"That's not how I left those! I know for a fact that those papers were strewn all over the table!" Mai, obviously, was not happy. "I'll never find anything now! I knew exactly where everything was!"

"How can you be so organized and yet have everything a mess?" Bou-san gave Mai a quizzical look.

"I don't know. I've always been able to. It used to drive Mom nuts!" Mai said as she began sorting through the neat piles in search of her unfinished research paper that was due in two days.

As Mai searched, the others looked around Mai's house. Although her homework had apparently been in disarray, the rest of Mai's house was clean. You could tell someone lived there, yes, but it was still tidy and well kept. The room that she had indicated she slept in was painted a coppery color, her curtains on the window were a dark blue, her comforter was the ice blue that she seemed to love so much, while the pillows were a chocolate color to match the bed skirt. The sheets, which were poking out of the top, were a French vanilla color that had Ayako thinking about nice cafés, while the bedside table was a small, hand made wood drawer unit with a mahogany stain that Mai stated proudly that she had made in wood shop. On the table was a small lamp, an alarm clock, and book that Mai promptly stuffed into her bag with a blush. Both the bathroom and the half bath in the hallway were done with blues and greens, while the kitchen was done with purples and pale pink. Hanging on the wall in the kitchen was a sketch of the inside of a building, done in the same color scheme as the kitchen. It was of the teahouse that Mai wanted to start one day, she explained, blushing once again as she mentioned the culinary school she wanted to go to after high school.

Later that day, Masako dropped by to take a look around.

"The spirits here seem to be completely devoted to you, Mai-san." The medium covered her mouth with the wide sleeve of her kimono.

"Spirits? As in more than one?!" Mai all but shrieked as she stared, wide eyed at the dainty medium now trying to get Naru's attention.

"I believe that's what I said." Masako gave a small, disdainful sniff, while Mai looked like she was about to faint.

"You said that they seem devoted to her, meaning…?" Bou-san prodded the teen, drawing her attention yet again away from Oliver.

"It's like they're stray cats that found someone who will feed and pet them." The glare she sent the still dazed Mai as Naru led her to a chair could very well have been lethal, though Mai was completely unaware of it.

"What, exactly, does that mean?" Her voice seemed somewhat strained as she accepted a glass of cold water from Ayako.

"I'm not certain but it seems that you may have, inadvertently ended up with willing Shiki." Lin said, after spending a few minutes trying to find the right words. "Have you helped out anyone strange, probably around a grave yard or something?"

"Uh uh. Noone." Mai looked around her house. "Does this mean that they're going to start following me?" She looked at Lin with slight apprehension.

"I'm not sure. Can you sense them?" He asked, watching as Masako huffed while grabbing her coat.

"I don't know. I think so, but this is all very new to me." Her voice finished on an abnormally high note.

"Is it sort of friendly, but at the same time cool? Like when the temperature first starts to drop?"

"Yeah."

"Then you can sense them and they have bonded to you."

"What?! When?! And why wasn't I informed?!" Mai nearly jumped out of her skin at Lin's assessment. She honestly had no idea what had happened. Although Lin thought he did, and if he was right, he was going to make sure it stopped (though not before teaching Mai how to use her new Shiki to protect herself from ghosts). "I didn't ask for this! I don't even know how to work with these things!"

"Calm down, Taniyama-san. I can show you a few spells so you can use them to protect you when we're on cases. As for how this happened, I'm really not sure. I have a theory and if I'm right I'll see if I can stop these things from happening. However, it would be a waste to get rid of something that would be so useful to you." 'And to the rest of us as well' Lin thought, recalling numerous injuries attained by various members of SPR while saving the spunky teenager, who was currently dazed by everything that had happened.

After Bou-san and Ayako left, Naru and Lin spent a few more minutes at Mai's house. Naru was reading a book while Lin started on the basics of protection charms with Mai scribbling notes in a small, spiral bound notebook with flowers on it. About an hour or two later the two men left, both receiving a kiss on the cheek and Lin receiving a hard look from Oliver.

'It would seem,' Lin thought with a slight snigger at the young man's expense, 'that Noll does not like the thought of Mai being affectionate with others. I'm sure there are times that Gene is glad that Noll can't reach him.' He chuckled slightly at the thought of Gene wiping his brow in relief after being kissed on the cheek by Mai. 'Perhaps I should leave this for a little while longer, though I must make it clear that no more spirits or living animals are to make their way to Mai. Jealousy is a strong motivation.' A glance at the young psy-researcher next to him cemented the plan in Lin's mind. Now, to stop the gifts…

_**Later at Lin's apartment…**_

Lin opened the door to his apartment, grateful that this time around they were not living in a hotel, no matter how nice it was. Sure his apartment had about as much in it as his hotel room but it was the fact was that this was _**his**_ that made it so much better. After placing his briefcase on the table, Lin called his Shiki and then sat down to talk.

"I believe that you five are responsible for all of this?" He fixed the spirits in an accusatory glare, which they avoided guiltily. Lin sighed. He knew that part of it probably had to do with the case where he had sent his Shiki to guard Mai at all times. He could just picture the bouncy teen chatting animatedly as she made dinner while his Shiki (who often complained about his lack of conversation) floated around and listened. He knew that she would have treated them the same way she would any other guest and that they probably enjoyed that. Lin shook his head, that didn't make it any harder to believe that his Shiki had fallen in love or at least had a crush on the petite brunette.

"While I have no problem with you giving her things, I must request that you not give her any more living or dead gifts. No more spirits! She was rather distressed when she found out that she had spirits devoted to her and she had no idea why. So please, take that into consideration. I don't mind the flowers, or the books, or candy but please, no spirits!"

They nodded and floated off and he hoped they wouldn't do anything stupid.

_**The next day…**_

"Ehhhh?!"

Lin sighed as Mai's voice rose in exclamation. Once again a bouquet of ice blue rosebuds sat on her desk. Naru was not pleased, to say the least. Lin came out of his office in time to see the door to Naru's office slam shut as Mai huffed into the kitchenette to make tea. The day continued and he smiled as he watched Oliver sulk and if the red rose that he was now placing on Mai's desk was any indication, Lin felt sure that the two teens would be going out to diner tonight. Judging by the blush on Mai's face, he was right.

He loved it when he was right.


	20. Cooking in the kitchen, LinxMai!

THIS WILL NOT BE NORMAL! I MIGHT write another one at a later date. MIGHT!

Please review!

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Mai had always enjoyed being in the kitchen. She loved to cook and bake and had a tendency to do so as often as she could, which was why she liked to volunteer to cook for the crew when they were on a case and there wasn't anyone available. Not that anyone complained, Mai was a good cook.

Mai was particularly fond of making deserts. This made her friend Keiko, a known chocoholic, very happy. Other people, like Naru, weren't too happy about it. Simply because they just didn't like sweets. With that being the reason, it explained why any cookies Mai placed on a plate for when he had tea, usually found their way into her stomach. Lin on the other hand, while not a big fan of sweets, loved Mai's cookies.

He had discovered it by accident. It had been around Christmas time a few years back, Mai had brought in a plate of sugar cookies with his tea. Lin hadn't had any intention of eating them but it was lunchtime and he couldn't leave just yet. So he grabbed one to nibble on, just to tide him over till he could go and grab something more substantial and…well…not so sweet. He picked one up and took a bite.

It was the beginning of an infatuation with her cooking.

He had never eaten anything that Mai had prepared before. They hadn't had a case where SPR needed to cook for themselves and the one time that Mai had invited them all to her apartment for dinner, Lin was sick and couldn't go. All it took was one bite, just one, and Lin was hooked.

Now Mai didn't know this. All she knew was that if she needed someone to taste something for her, Lin was happy to help. She knew he liked her cooking, of course, but she didn't know to what extent.

Mai had a dream of opening a small, well, teahouse, for lack of a better description, although that didn't do her idea justice. She loved food and she loved tea and she loved it when the two were together. So did Lin, especially when it was Mai's cooking.

Naturally, to cook one needed recipes and Mai had a large notebook overflowing with recipes, some of which she had created. It was her only cookbook and it was stuffed. So when Mai decided it was time to reorganize, she found a lot of recipes that she hadn't known she had and Lin found new foods that he liked.

One thing that Lin hadn't noticed was what effect all the time he spent around her was having on him. When they were on a case and she was cooking dinner, Lin was in the kitchen, talking to her and enjoying the heavenly scent of the food. When Mai invited SPR over for dinner, which wasn't often to his dismay, Lin arrived early to help and to sample any dish she was creating. Mai always served one of her original creations when they ate over. Once a month, Mai would have them over to try anything new that she had thought up. She had a reputation among the group as having a good sense of culinary taste and she never failed to live up to that reputation. It was something Lin loved.

There was also something else going on, something else was affecting Lin. It was subtle, very subtle. Subtle like the hint of vanilla that was in Mai's almond cookies, but it was still there. Perhaps it had always been there. Perhaps it merely needed a push, something to make the two of them spend more time together, to make it apparent. He was falling in love, not with the food because he had already done that, but with the chef.

It would mean absolutely nothing though if Mai didn't feel the same but it just so happened that something similar was happening with her. She was getting used to his presence and had found herself chatting out loud in the kitchen while she was cooking, before realizing he wasn't there. Why would he be? It was her apartment and her's alone. Sure, Lin came over often but he wasn't there everyday as she made dinner. She didn't really think about what it meant when she thought that she wouldn't mind having him lean against the wall of her kitchen as she made dinner every night. It seemed that neither one realized that they were slowly, but surely, falling in love.

Now everyone else at SPR was aware of that simple fact. Masako had felt like doing somersaults when she realized it and Naru hadn't spoken to Lin for two weeks. However, while everyone else seemed to know what was going on, Lin and Mai were both clueless about it. That they had gone from addressing each other by surname to addressing each other by their given name over night didn't register as odd. They had known each other for four years now, it was a given that at some point in time they would be on a given name basis and a relatively informal one at that. Taniyama-san had become Mai and Lin-san had become Koujo-nii. It didn't strike them as odd that they had become comfortable together. That they had become used to being around each other didn't seem odd at all and most surprisingly, the fact that they knew all these little things about each other that no one else knew wasn't the least bit odd in their minds.

That Lin knew that Mai's favorite color was shades of burnt red or that her favorite food was Taiyaki from a particular corner shop or that she bit her lip when she was thinking; all this was perfectly normal to him.

That Mai knew that Lin's favorite type of place was a forest that he could just walk in, maybe one that had a small shine in it or that he liked fruit candied with honey to fruit candied with refined sugar or that he ate oatmeal at odd times of the day, was as normal as breathing.

With every one knowing that they were falling in love, except them, things were getting chaotic. Naru was determined to win his Mai back, never mind the fact that she wasn't his. Masako was even more determined to get Naru than ever, owing to the fact that she no longer had a rival in Mai and could devote her time to Naru instead of making Mai look childish. Everyone else, except John, was trying to get the two of them to realize that they loved each other. Even Gene knew they were falling in love and he wanted them together, something that had Noll fuming for days. Madoka knew as well, which meant that Martin and Luella knew. Rather than being supportive in their son's endeavor to win Mai's heart, they felt that Lin was good for her and vice versa. Lin's parents heard of it from Luella and when they had visited their son in Japan, they made certain that they met Mai.

Needless to say, Lin's mother, Shumin, was happy with her son's choice, even if he didn't know that he'd chosen her yet. When Shumin and her husband, Dehua, met Mai they were pleased with how courteous she was. She was polite, thoughtful, and answered every question that they had asked. They accepted when she invited them over to her apartment for dinner and found that she was an excellent cook, even with Cantonese dishes that she didn't prepare on a regular basis. By the time they went home, Lin's parents were in love with Mai as well and couldn't wait for her to become a part of the family.

Even complete strangers had noticed that they were in love! How many times had shopkeepers told Mai that her boyfriend, Lin, was handsome or that he was a good catch? How many times had guys told Lin that he was lucky to have such a cute girlfriend or had a client ask him how long he and Mai had been dating? It was interesting how many times people had said those things. It was interesting how Mai's friends, when they met Lin, immediately thought he was her boyfriend or how Lin's aunt had asked him when he was going to propose, thinking that Mai was his girlfriend and yet they never seemed to realize the truth.

Their body language also told a few tales. Mai had developed a habit of standing very close to Lin, who tended to take a somewhat protective stance, and turned her body towards him slightly, showing that she looked to him for protection. Lin stood a little in front of her and turned his body back some, showing he saw a need to protect her. Things weren't that much different when they were seated.

Nothing changed until a client started to make a few moves on Mai. The man was about 5'11" tall, with reddish-brown hair and green eyes and a muscular build. His name was Masato. Unsurprisingly, Lin didn't like him.

The first time that Masato had flirted with Mai was when he came in for a consultation. Not every man who came into SPR had the guts to kiss Mai's hand, mainly because Naru glared them into a pile of cinders if they so much as glanced in her direction. Funny enough, Mai never noticed. This time, this 'client' defied all death glares and managed to sweep Mai's hand into his own and brushed his lips over her fingers. Lin wanted to turn this punk's case down, but he wasn't the boss, Naru was.

The second time the punk flirted with Mai was when they arrived at his house. He helped Mai out of the car, told her that she looked like an angel, and kissed her hand yet again. Lin nearly slapped him but settled with sending Masato a Naru patented death glare. His Shiki laughed.

The third time the punk dared to flirt with Mai was when he was verifying the details of the case. He kept looking at Mai, told her that he had never had tea that tasted so wonderful before and asked if she would sit by him at dinner that evening. Lin could have cursed him. Thankfully Bou-san reminded him not to.

The fourth time was at dinner. Lin didn't even think he deserved to be thought of as a punk. He was a rat. A dirty, rotten sewer rat that spent the entire evening flirting with Mai and had even the nerve to touch her arm. Lin could have killed him. Luckily he had some self-restraint and managed to go the entire night with out punching the him.

The fifth time was the morning of the second day. 'It' kissed Mai's hand at breakfast and told her that she was ravishing. Lin was really starting to hate this guy and Mai didn't look too happy either.

The sixth time was at lunch. 'It' wouldn't stop talking to Mai and kept touching her arm. Lin could have reached across the table and killed him, if not for the fact that there were witnesses. And so, it continued until the final day of the case. Oh how happy Lin and Mai both were to get away from that guy. Of course, 'It' just couldn't let go. 'It' had the nerve to kiss Mai. Lin would have loved to kill him, but settled for breaking 'It's' jaw.

Of course, it still took a little time for them to get together but food tends to bring people together and in more ways than one.

It was a Wednesday evening when Lin decided that he would drop by Mai's apartment to see her. He just 'happened' to be nearby so it wasn't much of a detour. After finding a place to park, Lin jumped out and headed up to Mai's place. He knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Mai's voice sounded strained, as if she was in the middle of something that needed her attention.

"It's Lin!"

"Ah! Come on in!" Her voice still sounded strained but it was a little brighter.

Lin pulled the key that Mai had given him out of his pocket and fitted it into the door before letting himself into 'Mai haven'.

He walked down the hall to the kitchen where he knew she'd be and was rewarded by the sight of Mai in a pair of very short shorts, a red halter-top, and red and black striped knee high socks. Her hair and clothes were covered in a light dusting of flour and she had a dab of meringue on the corner of her mouth, most likely from making a lemon meringue pie.

All in all, she looked beautiful and for some reason, Lin felt as though this was what he should be coming home to.

Mai was having similar thoughts. There was Lin, leaning against the kitchen wall, no vest, his tie was loose and the first three buttons of his shirt were undone. She could _definitely _get used to that…

"I thought I'd drop by, see if you wanted to go out to eat but it seems that you're already cooking." Lin couldn't help but notice that her halter was just a little too small.

"Actually, I haven't started on dinner yet. I just finished this pie just a few minutes ago. If you want to wait a few minutes to let me get cleaned up, I'd love to go out." Mai wondered if this could be called a date as it certainly seemed that way.

"Okay. You'll want to wear something nice, nothing fancy, just nice. How do you feel about Italian?" Those shorts were really short and her hair was in two small pigtails.

"I love Italian food! I'll go get ready, okay?" Mai put the pie into the fridge before straightening up to look at Lin.

"Okay, I'll wait here." Lin sat down on her couch, watching as Mai rushed down the hall.

Once in her room, Mai quickly picked out a navy blue knee-length skirt, brown open toe heels and the pink mandarin shirt that Lin had given her for Christmas, before dashing into the en-suite bathroom. She took a quick five-minute shower and got dressed. Her hair had gotten longer since she was fifteen, and was now down to her shoulders. She swept it up into a playful bun and stuck a hair stick into it.

Meanwhile Lin sat on her couch flipping through one of the cooking magazines that were on her coffee table. He realized that she would be graduating from culinary school soon and then she could probably look at starting her teahouse. A few minutes later, Mai came out of the back. She looked great and Lin knew it. He knew something else as well. He loved her.

Mai grabbed her coat off the rack and her purse from the hook and they left. After a short car ride, Lin led her into a nice restaurant. They had an enjoyable meal, they laughed and talked and ate and by the time they left the restaurant, they both knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was perfect.

It wasn't too long after, around three months later, that Lin asked Mai to marry him. Of course, she said yes. Their wedding was beautiful. It was a traditional Chinese ceremony, with a not so traditional reception. However, the reception was still spectacular in its own right. Mai, Shumin, Ayako, Luella, Madoka, Masako, and all of Mai's friends and all of Lin's female relatives had banded together to cook the reception dinner. Needless to say, with that many people cooking they had made enough to feed an army but by the end of the day, there was hardly any left.

And to say that Lin and Mai enjoyed their honeymoon in Hong Kong would be a vast understatement, to say the least.

So their lives continued and Lin came home each night to Mai dancing around the kitchen in short shorts and a red halter top that was a little too small, because Lin worked later than Mai did. Thankfully, he didn't mind working that little bit more for if they went home at the same time then Lin wouldn't be able to come home to see her dancing around, before she jumped into his arms with an exuberant "Welcome home dear!"

When Mai found the perfect place for her teahouse, the two of them sat down to figure out the expenses and how they would go about purchasing it, before finally buying the traditional Japanese house. With the help of SPR, they moved their belongings into the top floor, and that became their home.

Business is doing well at their teahouse. It had been named 'The Rose Pearl Teahouse' because they found a rose colored pearl shortly after moving in. Mai is six months pregnant with their third child. They have a five-year-old boy and a girl, fraternal twins, named Yue and Guan-yin. Lin is a wonderful husband and a doting father. His parents like to visit them every six months or so and there's plenty of room on the top floor where they live. They love being grandparents and they adore Mai as well, who is enjoying life as a mother.

Lin still works for SPR and so does Mai but only on very rare occasions. Mainly because she doesn't like letting other people run her shop and she also prefers to stay with the kids. If Lin has to go off for a week or so for a case, he calls Mai and the kids every night.

Little Guan-yin looks like she's going to take after her mother, even if she does look more like her father. Little Yue is taking after his father, while looking just like his mother.

In the end, food brought them together. Life is good for them.

And they love every minute.


	21. Shall We Dance?

As promised, this is the betaed vdersion. Please leave pleanty of tea and cookies for the author and her beta!

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Naru wasn't sure why he was surprised. After all, he had seen a little of Mai's grace when they went ice-skating in December. Still, seeing his sweet, modest little assistant shaking her hips in time to the Salsa beat while wearing a skimpy one piece red halter Salsa dress and dancing with her dance partner was very surprising.

Oh, he knew that Mai danced. She had a habit of turning on the CD player that she had brought to the office and dancing around as she did her filing. And he knew that she knew all the steps to most forms of ballroom dancing. He supposed the most surprising part was the fact that the woman who wouldn't wear traditional figure skating outfits because she 'didn't feel comfortable doing jumps in those things', was wearing a very small Salsa outfit to practice for an upcoming ballroom dancing competition that Mai's instructor had, with Mai's permission, entered the girl and her partner in.

Naru swallowed hard as Mai's back bent into a sensuous c-shaped arc while her 'partner' held her up.

Despite common belief, Naru wasn't immune to hormones, he just did a better job at hiding the effect that they had on him than most people, but Naru is a man and a man can only take so much. He was pretty sure that he was going to need a lot of cold water after this. One shower was not going to be enough!

Oh why, oh why was he here?

Flashback…

"Good Morning, Naru! Here's your tea."

Oliver Davis, more commonly known as 'Naru', looked up from his computer as his cheerful assistant breezed into his office with a smile. She set his tea and a small piece of yellow paper on his desk before floating out in the same manner that she'd entered.

Naru picked up the cup and took a sip, reveling in the blend of green tea, sugar and sakura as they swirled around in his mouth. He wasn't sure exactly what type of tea Mai had bought but he liked it. If his memory served, which it did, the tea was called Sakura Green.

His eyes opened a fraction as he looked at the paper sitting on his desk. He opened his eyes all the way and sat his cup down before picking up the paper.

**_Ballroom Dancing Competition_**

**_Join us at Totamo Park Community Center_**

**_For a night of glitz and glitter!_**

**_Watch as couples spin, twist, flip, and glide across the dance floor_**

**_While performing ballroom favorites from the Western world!_**

**_Enjoy the daring of the Salsa, Mambo, Tango, and Cha Cha Cha_**

**_Or the simple beauty of the Waltz!_**

**_So come and support our dancers_**

**_Friday April 25th_**

**_The gala starts at 6pm, sharp!_**

On the back was Mai's neat script:

_I will be performing and would be forever grateful if you would come!_

Really, she was easy to please and…

Wait a minute! Ballroom dancing? His Mai knew how to do that? Why wasn't he informed?

After a brief argument with Mai, it was decided that he and Lin would come to watch her practice on the 23rd. Of course, Bou-san walked in at that time, so by the end of the hour everyone else from SPR had decided that they would come to watch the practice as well as the actual event in question.

Naru wasn't sure what Lin was smirking about. After all, it was just dancing.

End Flashback…

Naru swallowed again. Oh, there was no way one cold shower was going to be enough, no way at all. He had never really given much thought to the curves of Mai's body before but he was finding them all too obvious at the moment, as Mai's hips shimmied at ninety-nine miles per hour.

He glanced over at the others. Yasuhara had unbuttoned three buttons on his shirt and Bou-san looked ready to kill someone. Probably Mai's partner and most definitely for a very different reason than the one Naru had on his mind. John hadn't been able to come and Lin was watching the dance as though it were nothing strange.

Naru figured that Lin had already known about all this, especially considering the fact that his girlfriend, Yuki liked dancing and often came to the gym to relieve stress. The man had probably known about this long before Naru had and he probably had seen her dance before, hence the smirk.

The music ended and not a moment to soon. If she had kept dancing like that for a few minutes longer, Naru would have had to start unbuttoning his shirt. As it was, he felt like opening a window and a glance over to the left where Yasuhara stood, he wasn't the only one. He wondered if he could get away with punching the young man. He had to have some sort of death wish to even look at his Mai like that, much less to act like that.

"Oi! Jou-chan! Where'd you learn to dance like that?" Bou-san's ugly overprotective big brother side reared it head with a growl as he glared at the young man that Mai had been dancing with.

"Oh, I took classes. Ballet, jazz, tap, burlesque, belly dancing, even a few classes on traditional Japanese dance. You can find classes for almost every form of dance out there." Mai smiled as she opened the window to allow some cold air in to cool her sweating body.

"What, exactly, is burlesque?" Masako asked, before Bou-san could continue.

"Burlesque is a type of dancing that I believe was developed in the 18th century. It focuses on female empowerment, although I believe it was once associated with strip dancing. Nowadays, many women take classes in order to build confidence. I mean, it's not every dance class that you strut around in fishnets, short shorts, and stilettos." Mai laughed while reaching for her water bottle, and for the first time in his life, Naru wished he had been the one hit by the car. The pain from that was nothing compared to the agony of watching a beautiful woman, wearing a skimpy halter dress and sweating, as she drained a bottle of water, not moments after mentioning the word 'strip dancing' and 'fishnets'.

Oh, he was screwed. No number of cold showers could help now.

April 25th, 5:45p.m…

It was fifteen minutes before the competition began when SPR settled down at their table to wait for the dancing to start. By the time they had received their dinner, the dance competition was ready to begin.

Had Naru been a man of lesser discipline his jaw would have dropped as Mai and her partner (What was his name?) strutted out onto the dance floor with complete confidence. He had thought that he was prepared for this, but it seems that he was mistaken.

Hanging low on her hips was a red handkerchief cut skirt that was longer on the left side than on the right, and wasn't very long at all. A form fitting black halter-top clung to her upper body, a silver bead design drawing attention to the bust and the low back. Upon her pale feet were strappy black heels. Naru began to wonder if he wasn't paying a little too much attention to what his assistant looked like when he realized that her toe-nails were painted black with little silver and red roses on them, and that they matched her fingernails.

The music started and once again Naru wondered what sin he had committed to deserve this torture. Perhaps it was being arrogant? Her body dipped and he swallowed hard before reaching for his drink. Naru had never been the type of man to drink alcohol but he was beginning to wonder if he should start.

Finally, and not a moment to soon, the Latin Ball room portion ended. The last dances of the night were the foxtrot and the waltz. That would be easier to handle. Or so he thought.

Now it may or may not come as a surprise but Naru is a very jealous man. He doesn't like to share certain things and Mai's smile is one of those things. Mai herself is another but she doesn't know that.

Mai and her partner walked back out onto the dance floor for the final dances and Naru, for one, was grateful that her dress was not skimpy any more. It was a simple maroon colored halter dress with a maroon chiffon shawl draped gently over both arms.

The music started, and the dancers began to move through the steps of the foxtrot until finally, it was time for the waltz.

If Naru hadn't been jealous before now, he most certainly was as HIS Mai twirled around in a waltz, a soft smile tugging at her lips. In that moment, Naru would have loved to kiss her. Would her lips be as soft as they looked? Her eyes were shining, and he could have sat there watching forever.

However, soon the music ended and the results were announced and as Mai and her partner accepted their winnings, Naru clapped with the rest of them. Her smile was contagious, and Naru found that, unconsciously, his lips had turned up ever so slightly.

So, a little while later, when Naru found himself standing next to her on a small wooden bridge that stood over a small stream, watching as the gentle breeze played with her hair and the moonlight illuminated her face, revealing that same soft smile, he wasn't to surprised at the feeling that welled up inside of him. As he kissed her he smiled, her lips were even softer than he imagined and the taste of sakura would be his favorite thing for the rest of his life. When she kissed back it seemed as though nothing else mattered and for a few moments, it didn't.

Because the only witnesses to the cherry blossom kiss were the minnows in the stream and the stars in the sky.


	22. All's fair in love and war 2shot Shiki!

Betaed copy of Emotions!

Please review!

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Lin looked at Mai warily. It had been almost three months since his Shiki presented Mai with three spirits of her own and she had come a long way in that short period of time. She was quickly progressing to actual binding, which was required to bind spirits to her.

The rate at which she was learning, when compared to his own, made him feel almost inadequate.

Almost.

It wasn't all that long ago when he had learned the very same skills, so he still remembered certain aspects that had given him the most trouble, and the ways to get past them. She didn't have to worry about the spirits that his Shiki had given to her though, because they made sure that the spirits were bound to her.

However, that wasn't why Lin was wary. He was wary because Mai was emitting serious anger at some source that he didn't know and the office was suffering for it. At least his office, where Mai had taken refuge, was suffering for it. While Naru and Mai were dating, she tended to gravitate towards the relaxing, feng shui atmosphere of Lin's office/library. Not that he blamed her, in fact, that was the very reason he himself rarely left. Still, when the temperature was a good seven and a half degrees lower than what it normally was and the heater couldn't change that, things were worrisome.

Mai was currently sitting in the lotus position, flicking through the mala beads the Monk had given to her as she recited a slightly worrisome mantra of 'I will not kill the bitchy psychic.' over and over again. It was punctuated occasionally by 'I will not kill my tea obsessed narcissist'. Apparently, she was mad and the cause of her current state was none other than her boyfriend, and Hara-san.

He wasn't all that surprised.

Despite the fact that he and Mai were dating, Naru did not refuse Masako's many offers to lunch and the like, in part because her father did put a lot of money into SPR because of his daughter and also because he hadn't told anyone (especially Madoka) about his dating Mai. This meant that Mai, who hadn't liked it when they weren't dating, was continually t-ed off with the two people in question.

This meant that Lin could no longer have orchids or other sensitive flowers thanks to Mai's temperament. Add to that her Shiki and you have a combination that's detrimental to the health of any plant. All because Naru was a narcissistic jerk who didn't want to lose any funding, or listen to his mother harp about him having children!

Not that Lin could blame him for that last one. His own mother was beginning to drive him insane with that question and his girlfriend's mother wasn't much better.

But that's not the point!

The point was that Naru's actions put him, Lin, in danger. They also put Masako in danger because, let's be honest here, she isn't very strong and at this rate, Mai would probably snap and curse the petite medium before the month was out.

If nothing else, Lin would have thought that Naru's own self-preservation instinct would have kicked in and alerted him to the fact that Mai had Shiki (added with her gifts made her invaluable) and could withhold tea if she deemed necessary.

If there was anything that Lin was certain of, it was that Naru was addicted to Mai's tea.

But as was normal when dealing with Mai, Naru's self-preservation instinct was on holiday while his heart and his brain were at war as to how to act with her.

Still, Lin thought, as Mai unfolded from her position and went to the bookshelf; at least they were getting somewhere.

Now if only he could soundproof his office to keep out their arguments.

A few days later…

Lin watched apprehensively as Mai glared at Masako as she asked Naru to come with her, alone, to a new case in the water gardens just outside of town. This, Lin knew, was Mai's final act of kindness towards those two. Naru looked at them, as they were both standing in the entrance to the kitchenette, though he was really looking only at Mai. Lin cringed when Mai sniffed, spun on her toes, and glided with a new found grace back into the kitchenette with a noise in the back of her throat that sounded something like an exasperated, slightly choked shriek of 'MEN!'

He had hoped Naru wouldn't do this. Naru, who was supposedly a genius, wouldn't be that stupid.

But let's face it. He's just an idiot scientist.

Surprisingly, Mai was very calm when she entered his office a few minutes after Naru left. Her choice of reading material was violent but Lin was staying out of this. He had told Naru that Mai was not going to let this go on forever. Yuki had told him. Heck! Mai herself had told him, it could not continue, yet continue it did.

He told himself that he was staying out of it. If Masako brought a case to SPR about a curse on her, well, he hadn't seen his mother in several years and Yuki hadn't met her yet, so they'd go to London to see his family.

Maybe they'd take Mai with them, so she could continue learning while getting away from the stress Naru caused.

A week later…

Surprisingly, nothing had happened to Masako and she had taken Naru out on several occasions since then. However, rather than glaring, Mai had merely ignored it all, which scared Lin more than her usual tantrum, though he didn't know why.

It wasn't until Masako came in that day, along with every one else, that he noticed it. An easy spell that could force Masako to say exactly what she meant. Not the truth, per say, but exactly what she meant.

It was a dirty, underhanded way to get back at Masako but Lin didn't get the chance to demand Mai to remove the spell (which could be quite embarrassing) because Masako had already started talking.

"Naru, I was wondering if you would like to go out to lunch with me so that I can try to steal you away from Mai who I know you're currently dating because I saw you at this restaurant and let's face it, I really hate her. I mean, every one loves her because she's so nice and now she has Shiki but I'm still more useful than she'll ever be, at least that's what I want you to think and to be honest, I really can't compete with Mai, because not only does she have the talents, she's also tougher than I am, but I can always hope that I can have the satisfaction of taking you away from her because I'm prettier than she is and I compliment you perfectly, right?"

They all looked at Masako, then at Mai, who Lin was disappointed to see wore a triumphant smirk. She caught his disapproving look and shrugged.

"She was trying to steal my boyfriend, I wasn't going to take that lying down. Besides, sensei, you know what they say, 'All is fair in Love and War'!"


End file.
